Saturday, February 26
Steamboat Springs, Colo. / Mount Werner
ALL DAY
University of Denver
vs
Dual Slalom
Pioneers Finish Second at 2022 RMISA Championships
2/26/2022 11:28:00 PM | Skiing
Bernhard Flaschberger and Andreas Kirkeng led DU with top-five results in men's 20K freestyle
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Denver ski team finished second overall at the 2022 RMISA Championships on Saturday as the meet concluded with the women's 15-kilometer and men's 20K freestyle Nordic races at Howelsen Hill.
Denver was close throughout the week to overtake winner Utah, but the Pioneers were never able to overtake the Utes for the conference championship, which tripled this year as the Colorado Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational and the NCAA West Regional. DU compiled 570 points over the four days of competition, coming 37.5 ahead of third-place CU and 120 behind Utah.
Junior Bernhard Flaschberger and freshman Andreas Kirkeng were Denver's top scorers on Saturday as they posted top-five times in the men's mass start. Kirkeng finished the 20K course in 52:11.2 for fifth place while Flaschberger came in fourth with a time of 51:51.6, finishing less than five seconds off the podium.
The Utes had two skiers on the podium with Luke Jager winning the men's freestyle race in 51:39.5 and Bjorn Riksaasen placing third with a 51:51.1 mark. Colorado's Magnus Boee finished second.
Freshman Elijah Weenig was the third Denver scorer in the men's race in 15th place and senior Ole Marius Kirkeng crossed the finish line right behind him in 16th. Senior Jimmy Colfer was 25th, freshman Jonah Steinberg was 26th and senior Nick Sweeney was 28th.
Freshman and Steamboat Springs native Sidney Barbier and sophomore Hanna Ray led the Pioneers in the women's 15K mass start, with Barbier finishing just ahead at 51:34.2 in 15th place and Ray crossing the finish line six-hundredths of a second later. It was the second straight race that Barbier finished 15th, tying a NCAA personal best, and it was also the first time in her career that she was the top scorer for the Pioneers in a woemn's event.
After Barbier and Ray, the rest of the DU women were bunched up at the finish. Junior Vera Norli was 18th, junior Emma Larsson was 19th, freshman Bettina Burgess was 21st, senior Sadie Cotton was 22nd and senior Gracie Shanely was 27th.
Utah also controlled the women's podium as Novie McCabe won her second consecutive race while teammate Sophia Laulki was second. The two Utes finished within 12 seconds of one another and completed the course in 43-plus minutes—three and half minutes faster than third-place Mariel Pulles of Alaska Fairbanks.
For many of the Nordic skiers, Saturday marked the final collegiate race of their careers as each team can only bring three women and three men in each discipline to the NCAA Championships.
ALPINE DUAL SLALOM EVENT
The alpine teams took part in a parallel slalom event as an exhibition on Saturday at Howelsen Hill, serving as a test to see if it could possibly be part of the national championships in the future.
Five DU skiers participated, with Nora Brand and Eleri Smart on the women's side and Tristan Lane, Cole Puckett and Trey Seymour on the men's side.
Brand and Smart finished sixth and seventh, respectively, as both made it to the quarterfinals. Seymour came in seventh in the men's race as the only Pioneer to reach to the quarterfinals. Puckett finished in 13th after making it to the Round of 16 and Lane in 18th after not being able to move past the preliminary round.
After posting a qualifying time, each athlete faced off another skier in two runs, one each on both the red and blue courses. However much time the winner of the first race had on their opponent was the roughly the same amount of a head start they got in the second run.
UP NEXT: Denver will know in the coming days if they have qualified a full 12-member squad the 2022 NCAA Championships, which will be held from March 9-12 in Utah at Park City Mountain Resort and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. The national championships will begin with the alpine giant slalom on March 9 and conclude with the women's 15k and men's 20K freestyle races on March 12.
DENVER WOMEN'S 15K FREESTYLE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
15. Sidney Barbier, 51:34.2
16. Hanna Ray, 51:34.8
18. Vera Norli, 52:45.0
19. Emma Larsson, 52:57.4
21. Bettina Burgess, 52:57.8
22. Sadie Cotton, 53:24.9
27. Gracie Shanely, 59:08.4
DENVER MEN'S 10K CLASSIC INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
4. Bernhard Flaschberger, 51:55.6
5. Andreas Kirkeng, 52.11.2
15. Elijah Weenig, 55:06.8
16. Ole Marius Kirkeng, 55:39.2
25. Jimmy Colfer, 58:48.5
26. Jonah Steinberg, 58:52.0
28. Nick Sweeney, 1:00:12.3
RMISA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (after 8-of 8 events): 1. Utah 690; 2. Denver 570; 3. Colorado 532.5; 4. Montana State 465; 5. Alaska Anchorage 435; 6. Westminster 328; 7. Alaska Fairbanks 251; 8. Colorado Mountain 186.5; 9. Wyoming 76.
WOMEN'S 15K FREESTYLE TOP 10 (27 finishers): 1. Novie McCabe, UU, 43:06.5; 2. Sophia Laulki, UU, 43:17.9; 3. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 46:59.8; 4. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 47:04.1; 5. Julie Richter, UU, 47:07.0; 6. Hanna Abrahamsson, CU, 47:21.6; 7. Astrid Stav, UAA, 47:28.3; 8. Anna-Maria Dietze, CU, 48:07.9; 9. Ezra Smith, UU, 49:03.5; 10. Karianne Dengerud, UU, 49:19.0.
MEN'S 20K FREESTYLE TOP 10 (31 finishers): 1. Luke Jager, UU, 51:39.5; 2. Magnus Boee, CU, 51:40.1; 3. Bjorn Riksaasen, UU, 51:51.1; 4. Bernhard Flaschberger, DU, 51:55.6; 5. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 52:11.2; 6. Reed Godfrey, MSU, 52:26.1; 7. J.C. Schoonmaker, UAA, 52:52.7; 8. Fredrik Nilsen, CU, 52:53.0; 9. Oyvind Haugan, CU, 53:28.6; 10. Espen Persen, UAA, 54:07.6.
DENVER WOMEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
8. Eleri Smart, Quarterfinals, lost to UU's Sona Moravcikova
7. Nora Brand, Quarterfinals, lost to CU's Elena Exenberger
DENVER MEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
7. Trey Seymour, Quarterfinals, lost to UU's Gustav Voello
13. Cole Puckett, Round of 16, lost to DU's Trey Seymour
18. Tristan Lane, Preliminary Round, lost to UAA's Didrik Nilsen
WOMEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM TOP 10 (14 collegiate finishers): 1. Emma Hammergaard, CU; 2. Ainsley Proffit, CMC; 3. Elena Exenberger, CU; 4. Sona Moravcikova, UU; 5. Kaitlyn Harsch, CU; 6. Nora Brand, DU; 7. Eleri Smart, DU; 8. Ashleigh Alexander, UAA; 9. Michelle Kerven, UU; 10. Alyssa Hill, UAA.
MEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM TOP 10 (21 collegiate finishers): 1. Jeremy Mathers, UU; 2. Didrik Nilsen, UAA; 3. Jacob Dilling, CU; 4. Gustav Voello, UU; 5. Chase Seymour, CU; 6. Hunder Eid, UAA; 7. Trey Seymour, DU; 8. Bobby Ryan, CU; 9. Alex Birkner, CU; 10. Leon Nikic, UAA.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Skiing on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Skiing on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Skiing on Instagram
Denver was close throughout the week to overtake winner Utah, but the Pioneers were never able to overtake the Utes for the conference championship, which tripled this year as the Colorado Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational and the NCAA West Regional. DU compiled 570 points over the four days of competition, coming 37.5 ahead of third-place CU and 120 behind Utah.
Junior Bernhard Flaschberger and freshman Andreas Kirkeng were Denver's top scorers on Saturday as they posted top-five times in the men's mass start. Kirkeng finished the 20K course in 52:11.2 for fifth place while Flaschberger came in fourth with a time of 51:51.6, finishing less than five seconds off the podium.
The Utes had two skiers on the podium with Luke Jager winning the men's freestyle race in 51:39.5 and Bjorn Riksaasen placing third with a 51:51.1 mark. Colorado's Magnus Boee finished second.
Freshman Elijah Weenig was the third Denver scorer in the men's race in 15th place and senior Ole Marius Kirkeng crossed the finish line right behind him in 16th. Senior Jimmy Colfer was 25th, freshman Jonah Steinberg was 26th and senior Nick Sweeney was 28th.
Freshman and Steamboat Springs native Sidney Barbier and sophomore Hanna Ray led the Pioneers in the women's 15K mass start, with Barbier finishing just ahead at 51:34.2 in 15th place and Ray crossing the finish line six-hundredths of a second later. It was the second straight race that Barbier finished 15th, tying a NCAA personal best, and it was also the first time in her career that she was the top scorer for the Pioneers in a woemn's event.
After Barbier and Ray, the rest of the DU women were bunched up at the finish. Junior Vera Norli was 18th, junior Emma Larsson was 19th, freshman Bettina Burgess was 21st, senior Sadie Cotton was 22nd and senior Gracie Shanely was 27th.
Utah also controlled the women's podium as Novie McCabe won her second consecutive race while teammate Sophia Laulki was second. The two Utes finished within 12 seconds of one another and completed the course in 43-plus minutes—three and half minutes faster than third-place Mariel Pulles of Alaska Fairbanks.
For many of the Nordic skiers, Saturday marked the final collegiate race of their careers as each team can only bring three women and three men in each discipline to the NCAA Championships.
ALPINE DUAL SLALOM EVENT
The alpine teams took part in a parallel slalom event as an exhibition on Saturday at Howelsen Hill, serving as a test to see if it could possibly be part of the national championships in the future.
Five DU skiers participated, with Nora Brand and Eleri Smart on the women's side and Tristan Lane, Cole Puckett and Trey Seymour on the men's side.
Brand and Smart finished sixth and seventh, respectively, as both made it to the quarterfinals. Seymour came in seventh in the men's race as the only Pioneer to reach to the quarterfinals. Puckett finished in 13th after making it to the Round of 16 and Lane in 18th after not being able to move past the preliminary round.
After posting a qualifying time, each athlete faced off another skier in two runs, one each on both the red and blue courses. However much time the winner of the first race had on their opponent was the roughly the same amount of a head start they got in the second run.
UP NEXT: Denver will know in the coming days if they have qualified a full 12-member squad the 2022 NCAA Championships, which will be held from March 9-12 in Utah at Park City Mountain Resort and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. The national championships will begin with the alpine giant slalom on March 9 and conclude with the women's 15k and men's 20K freestyle races on March 12.
DENVER WOMEN'S 15K FREESTYLE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
15. Sidney Barbier, 51:34.2
16. Hanna Ray, 51:34.8
18. Vera Norli, 52:45.0
19. Emma Larsson, 52:57.4
21. Bettina Burgess, 52:57.8
22. Sadie Cotton, 53:24.9
27. Gracie Shanely, 59:08.4
DENVER MEN'S 10K CLASSIC INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
4. Bernhard Flaschberger, 51:55.6
5. Andreas Kirkeng, 52.11.2
15. Elijah Weenig, 55:06.8
16. Ole Marius Kirkeng, 55:39.2
25. Jimmy Colfer, 58:48.5
26. Jonah Steinberg, 58:52.0
28. Nick Sweeney, 1:00:12.3
RMISA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (after 8-of 8 events): 1. Utah 690; 2. Denver 570; 3. Colorado 532.5; 4. Montana State 465; 5. Alaska Anchorage 435; 6. Westminster 328; 7. Alaska Fairbanks 251; 8. Colorado Mountain 186.5; 9. Wyoming 76.
WOMEN'S 15K FREESTYLE TOP 10 (27 finishers): 1. Novie McCabe, UU, 43:06.5; 2. Sophia Laulki, UU, 43:17.9; 3. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 46:59.8; 4. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 47:04.1; 5. Julie Richter, UU, 47:07.0; 6. Hanna Abrahamsson, CU, 47:21.6; 7. Astrid Stav, UAA, 47:28.3; 8. Anna-Maria Dietze, CU, 48:07.9; 9. Ezra Smith, UU, 49:03.5; 10. Karianne Dengerud, UU, 49:19.0.
MEN'S 20K FREESTYLE TOP 10 (31 finishers): 1. Luke Jager, UU, 51:39.5; 2. Magnus Boee, CU, 51:40.1; 3. Bjorn Riksaasen, UU, 51:51.1; 4. Bernhard Flaschberger, DU, 51:55.6; 5. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 52:11.2; 6. Reed Godfrey, MSU, 52:26.1; 7. J.C. Schoonmaker, UAA, 52:52.7; 8. Fredrik Nilsen, CU, 52:53.0; 9. Oyvind Haugan, CU, 53:28.6; 10. Espen Persen, UAA, 54:07.6.
DENVER WOMEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
8. Eleri Smart, Quarterfinals, lost to UU's Sona Moravcikova
7. Nora Brand, Quarterfinals, lost to CU's Elena Exenberger
DENVER MEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
7. Trey Seymour, Quarterfinals, lost to UU's Gustav Voello
13. Cole Puckett, Round of 16, lost to DU's Trey Seymour
18. Tristan Lane, Preliminary Round, lost to UAA's Didrik Nilsen
WOMEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM TOP 10 (14 collegiate finishers): 1. Emma Hammergaard, CU; 2. Ainsley Proffit, CMC; 3. Elena Exenberger, CU; 4. Sona Moravcikova, UU; 5. Kaitlyn Harsch, CU; 6. Nora Brand, DU; 7. Eleri Smart, DU; 8. Ashleigh Alexander, UAA; 9. Michelle Kerven, UU; 10. Alyssa Hill, UAA.
MEN'S PARALLEL SLALOM TOP 10 (21 collegiate finishers): 1. Jeremy Mathers, UU; 2. Didrik Nilsen, UAA; 3. Jacob Dilling, CU; 4. Gustav Voello, UU; 5. Chase Seymour, CU; 6. Hunder Eid, UAA; 7. Trey Seymour, DU; 8. Bobby Ryan, CU; 9. Alex Birkner, CU; 10. Leon Nikic, UAA.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Skiing on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Skiing on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Skiing on Instagram
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