DENVER – Seniors Andreas Kirkeng of men's Nordic and Sara Rask of women's alpine headline the University of Denver skiing's 2025 team awards as the Pioneers' Most Valuable Skiers.
 
Freshmen Eve-Ondine Duchaufour of women's Nordic and Pietro Motterlini of men's alpine were selected as the program's Rookies of the Year, while alpine junior Thomas Hoffman and Nordic sophomore Maja Moland were named DU's Most Improved skiers. Nordic senior Sidney Barbier and alpine junior Mia Hunt are this year's recipients of the Pioneer Award, given to the skiers that exemplify teamwork, hard work and pride in the school.
 
Kirkeng earns his third Nordic team MVP honor in four seasons after placing in the top 10 in 13-of-14 races and earning his fourth-straight All-American award by coming in seventh place in the 20K freestyle at the 2025 NCAA Championships. The Lier, Norway, native won five events during the year, placed on the podium seven times and earned nine top-five finishes as the top national qualifier from RMISA in men's Nordic. He won two U.S. Cross Country National Championships in men's classic and the 20K classic mass start in January and finished as RMISA's Most Valuable Skier in men's freestyle. He was also recognized as a CSC Academic All-America First-Team member.
 
Rask picked up her second alpine team MVP honor in three seasons following victories in both women's slalom and giant slalom at the 2025 NCAA Championships. She also swept the slalom races during the collegiate season, winning all seven such events. Last year's women's alpine team captain totaled eight individual victories and 10 podium appearances throughout the campaign and earned RMISA MVP honors in women's slalom. The Stockholm, Sweden, native became the 19th Pioneer and sixth woman to sweep the NCAA Championships and the first to do so since Amelia Smart in 2018. She was also named to the CSC Academic All-America First Team.
 
Duchaufour placed in the top 20 in 13-of-14 races during her rookie campaign and posted 10 top-10 finishes in women's Nordic. The Les Rousses, France, native picked up her first of three top-fives on the year with a fourth-place finish at 20K classic at the Alaska Anchorage Invitational on Jan. 5 and recorded the first podium of her career two weeks later in third place in the Utah Invitational 15K freestyle on Jan. 19. At the time, it was the first podium by a Pioneer in women's Nordic since 2022 when Vera Norli did it also at the Utah Invite.
 
Motterlini recorded seven top-15 finishes during his freshman campaign and placed in the top 20 in 10 of the races. The Milan, Italy, native recorded his first career podium in third place at the Alaska Anchorage Invitational giant slalom on Feb. 19 at Alyeska Resort and produced his best slalom result of the season three days later on Feb. 22 in 13th to conclude the RMISA Championships. He capped off the year by placing 10th in GS at his first NCAA Championships, earning second-team All-American honors.
 
Hoffman had his best season on the college circuit as he recorded three podiums and five top-five finishes in his junior campaign. The Manly, Australia, native began the year on the podium with a runner-up placement in men's slalom at the RMISA Alpine Qualifiers at Loveland on Jan. 6 and closed the regular season with his first career victory in slalom at the RMISA Championships on Feb. 22 in Girdwood, Alaska. He finished the year with an All-American performance by coming in ninth in giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.
 
Moland recorded five top-10 finishes and three top-five results in her sophomore campaign with the Pioneers. She also placed in the top 20 in each of her 10 RMISA races and made her first career NCAA Championship squad with DU. The Andebu, Norway, native began the year with her first career top-five result in the 10K freestyle at the Alaska Anchorage Invitational and U.S. Cross Country National Championships on Jan. 2 and recorded a personal best in fourth place at the Utah Invitational 15K freestyle on Jan. 19.
 
Barbier finished all 10 races she started in 2025 while dealing with a torn hip labrum throughout the year. The Steamboat Springs, Colorado, native earned season-best results at the Denver Invitational by placing 19th in the 10K freestyle pursuit on Feb. 9 and the 21st in the 7.5K classic interval start on Feb. 8 at Maloit Park in Minturn. She was presented after the season with the 2025 Honda Inspiration Award from the Collegiate Women's Sports Awards for her determination and resiliency while battling undiagnosed nutcracker syndrome for the previous six years.
 
Hunt produced her best collegiate campaign after making her FIS Alpine World Cup debut on Dec. 1 in Killington, Vermont. The junior from Park City, Utah, recorded nine top-10s during the campaign, including posting her first career top-five placements in the two slalom races on Feb. 21-22 in Alaska. She wrapped up the season with a pair of All-American awards by coming in seventh in slalom and 10th in giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.
 

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