ANCHORAGE/GIRDWOOD, Alaska – The University of Denver ski team had three athletes place on the podium on Friday in a full day of alpine and Nordic racing in the Anchorage area.
 
The alpine squad wrapped up the Alaska Anchorage Invitational with slalom events at Alyeska Resort in nearby Girdwood while the Nordic team began its RMISA Championships with the 7.5-kilometer classical interval start in town at Kincaid Park.
 
Senior Sara Rask picked up her 12th career victory by leading the field in the UAA women's slalom, and senior Andreas Kirkeng and graduate student Florian Knopf placed second and third, respectively, in the men's Nordic race.
 
The Pioneers earned the most points in the men's Nordic event with 89 while the women continued to show their depth in the discipline with 68. DU moved up to third place with 257 points and trail leader Utah by 102 points heading into the final day of the conference championships on Saturday. Denver is just 41 points back of second-place Colorado.
 
Senior Elijah Weenig was the Pioneers' third scorer in the men's cross-country event in 14th place, while junior Micah Steinberg (17th) and sophomore Krystof Zatloukal (18th) were close behind with top-20 results as well. Freshmen Joe Graziadei was 24th and fellow rookie Landon Wyatt was 31st.
 
Denver had a pair of women place in the top 10 in their 7.5K classic, as freshman Eve-Ondine Duchaufour led the team in sixth and graduate student teammate was Lea Wenaas one spot behind in seventh. Freshman Anna Stewart was DU's third scorer in 17th, while junior Selma Andersen was 21st and senior Sidney Barbier placed 39th. Sophomore Maja Moland did not start.
 
The Utah Utes had three individuals place on the Nordic stage, as Zachary Jayne and Celine Mayer won their respective races and Erica Laven came in third in the women's event.
 
Down the coast and on the other side of the Turnagain Arm, the Alaska Anchorage Invitational concluded with Rask once again on top of the stage. She held onto her lead after her initial descent by posting the third-fastest second run time to finish at 1:33.51, nearly a second and a half ahead of second-place Ella Bromee of Alaska Anchorage (1.39).
 
Rask has won each of the five women's slalom events this season and 10 of her 12 career collegiate victories have come in the technical event.
 
DU finished with the highest team score in women's slalom with 86 points, as junior Mia Hunt placed fifth and Stella Buchheister recorded another solid result in her true freshman campaign in 14th.
 
Junior Thomas Hoffman led Denver's men by tying for eighth place as the top of the field became jumbled in the second run. Hoffman, who was just one one-hundredth of second off the lead, was among the leaders that dropped in run 2, while Colorado's Filip Wahlqvist jumped from fourth to first and Justin Bigatel was the biggest mover of the day from 12th to second.
 
Graduate student Loic Chable in 13th and freshman Pietro Motterlini in 16th were DU's other two men's alpine scorers, and junior Christian Soevik was 18th and senior Cooper Cornelius was 28th. Senior Eirik Kveno and junior Adrian Minde Hunshammer did not finish their second runs.
 
Colorado won the Alaska Anchorage Invitational after registering 370 points in the alpine races to finish with a total of 664 points. The Utes were second with 642.5 points and DU was 50 points behind UU with 593.
 
The Alaska Anchorage Invitational comprised nearly the entire RMISA campaign, as the meet began in the season opener on Jan. 2 during the U.S. Cross Country National Championships in Anchorage.
 
UP NEXT: The final day of the regular season is also senior day with both alpine and Nordic concluding the RMISA Championships before turning their attention to next month's NCAA Championships. Alpine races in the conference meet's slalom events in Girdwood while Nordic takes to the Kincaid Park course for the 20K freestyle mass start.
 
 
DENVER WOMEN 7.5K CLASSIC RMISA CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
6. Eve-Ondine Duchaufour, 23:26.4
7. Lea Wenaas, 23:21.0
17. Anna Stewart, 24:13.4
21. Selma Andersen, 24:49.7
30. Sidney Barbier, 26:13.8
DNS: Maja Moland
 
DENVER MEN 7.5K CLASSIC RMISA CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
2. Andreas Kirkeng, 20:22.3
3. Florian Knopf, 20:29.3
14. Elijah Weenig, 21:01.0
17. Micah Steinberg, 21:17.0
18. Krystof Zatloukal, 21:19.9
24. Joe Graziadei, 21:50.0
31. Landon Wyatt, 22:47.1
 
DENVER WOMEN SLALOM UAA INVITATIONAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Sara Rask, 1:33.51 (47.48/46.03)
5. Mia Hunt, 1:35.54 (49.55/45.99)
14. Stella Buchheister, 1:37.76 (51.18/46.58)
 
DENVER MEN SLALOM UAA INVITATIONAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T8. Thomas Hoffman, 1:30.54 (42.91/47.63)
13. Loic Chable, 1:30.88 (44.67/46.21)
16. Pietro Motterlini, 1:31.18 (45.36/45.82)
18. Christian Soevik, 1:31.27 (44.98/46.29)
28. Cooper Cornelius, 1:36.34 (47.12/49.22)
DNF: Eirik Kveno (44.84/DNF run 2), Adrian Minde Hunshammer (46.39/DNF run 2)
 
 
RMISA CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM STANDINGS (through 4-of-8 events): 1. Utah 359; 2. Colorado 298; 3. Denver 257; 4. Montana State 233; 5. Alaska Anchorage 220; 6. Alaska Fairbanks 139; 7. Westminster 128; 8. Nevada 77; 9. Colorado Mountain College 48
 
UAA INVITATIONAL FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (after 8-of-8 events): 1. Colorado 664; 2. Utah 642.5; 3. Denver 593; T4. Alaska Anchorage 447; T4. Montana State 447; 6. Alaska Fairbanks 231; 7. Nevada 191.5; 8. Westminster 166; 9. Colorado Mountain College 131
 
 
MEN'S RMISA CHAMPIONSHIPS 7.5K CLASSIC TOP 10 (38 finishers): 1. Zachary Jayne, UU, 20:17.6; 2. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 20:22.3; 3. Florian Knopf, DU, 20:29.3; 4. Cole Flowers, UAF, 20:30.1; 5. Murphy Flowers, UAF, 20:30.1; 6. Johannes Flaaten, CU, 20:45.0; 7. Carle Rune UU, 20:45.7; 8. Eemil Juntunen, CU, 20:49.0; 9. Brian Bushey, UU, 20:50.9; 10. Derek Deuling, UAA, 20:55.5
 
WOMEN'S RMISA CHAMPIONSHIPS 7.5K CLASSIC TOP 10 (35 finishers): 1. Celine Mayer, UU, 22:23.4; 2. Tilde Baangman, CU, 22:30.9; 3. Erica Laven, UU, 22:42.9; 4. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 22:44.6; 5. Tabitha Williams, UAF, 23:26.5; 6. Eve-Ondine Duchaufour, DU, 23:26.4; 7. Lea Wenaas, DU, 23:21.0; 8. Hanna Abrahamsson, CU, 23:26.5; 9. Astri Lunde, CU, 23:43.6; 10. Anna Pryce, MSU, 23:44.5.
 
WOMEN'S UAA INVITATIONAL SLALOM TOP 10 (25 finishers): 1. Sara Rask, DU, 1:33.51; 2. Ella Bromee, UAA, 1:34.90; 3. Kaja Norbye, UU, 1:35.15; 4. Magdalena Luczak, CU, 1:35.53; 5. Mia Hunt, DU, 1:35.54; 6. Tea Kiesel, MSU, 1:35.64; 7. Louison Accambray, CU, 1:35.87; 8. Carmen Nielssen, UAA, 1:36.37; 9. Guro Hestad Vognild, WM, 1:36.45; 10. Ashley Campbell, CU, 1:36.66.
 
MEN'S UAA INVITATIONAL SLALOM TOP 10 (28 finishers): 1. Filip Wahlqvist, CU, 1:29.22; 2. Justin Bigatel, CU, 1:29.58; 3. Johs Herland, UU, 1:29.67; 4. Iver Naess, UN, 1:30.07; 5. Louis Fausa, CU, 1:30.10; 6. Jan Ronner, UAA, 1:30.20; 7. Wilhelm Normannseth, UU, 1:30.25; T8. Thomas Hoffman, DU, 1:30.54; T8. Jager Halbjoerhus, UN, 1:30.54; 10. Raphael Lessard, UU, 1:30.54.


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!