ASPEN, Colo. – Senior Adrian Minde Hunshammer, sophomore Pietro Motterlini and freshman Cecilia Pizzinato of the University of Denver ski team all had big second runs on Wednesday in giant slalom to vault up the leaderboard on the last day of alpine racing of the 2026 Denver Invitational.
 
"Overall, a decent day," said DU Otto Tschudi Head Alpine Skiing Coach Joonas Rasanen. "We dusted the rust off of GS a little bit, and I feel like we have a lot to show tomorrow. Definitely a lot of bright spots with Pietro and Cecilia's second run. By no means was that anything extra ordinary; I think they skied to their level, and hopefully tomorrow we can get two of those runs from both of them."
 
Hunshammer recorded the fastest time in the second run at Aspen Highlands to move from ninth to fourth in the men's event, earning his first career top-five finish. It marked the third straight day that he's recorded a career best after placing eighth and sixth in slalom events at Loveland Ski Area, which hosted the first days of both the DU and CU Invitationals.
 
Motterlini was the biggest mover of the afternoon in the GS, as he climbed 15 spots to finish 11th after being 26th following run 1. He was third-fastest in the men's second descent.
 
Senior Christian Soevik earned his first top 10 of the new campaign by coming in ninth, while fellow classmate Thomas Hoffman tied for 14th and graduate student Eirik Kveno placed 22nd. Freshman Caman Beauregard did not finish his first run.
 
"Very happy with Adrian's second-run skiing today," Rasanen said. "He put down a very solid run and skied smart, so that was super cool to see. He's been putting in a lot of work, and it's clearly showing up. We're super happy for Adrian. Christian stepped up big today, but overall as a team we had a good attitude today and we're looking forward to tomorrow."
 
Grad student Sara Rask placed on the podium for the third-straight day as she was runner-up behind winner Louison Accambray of Colorado. Rask ended up seven-tenths of a second behind Accambray and placed more than a full second (1.05) ahead of Westminster's Guro Hested Vognild in third.
 
Rask won both slaloms at Loveland on Monday and Tuesday and has now placed on the podium in seven straight races dating back to the end of last season, which included six consecutive victories.
 
Pizzinato came in 10th to earn her first top 10 in her third career collegiate event. She also climbed from the morning session as she improved by four spots after being 14th quickest in run 1.
 
Senior Mia Hunt was the DU women's third scorer in 13th, and freshman Elisabeth Creighton placed 15th in her first college GS. Sophomore Stella Buchheister came in 21st among college athletes, senior Josephine Trueblood was 22nd and senior Nicola Rountree-Williams ended up 25th.
 
Denver skiing alum Galena Wardle took part in Wednesday's event as a non-college invitee, as she continues her pro career and build momentum in her racing following injuries in recent years. She placed 21st among all competitors.
 
DU finished second in women's team scoring with 78 points and was third in the men's event with 75.
 
The University of Colorado used four top-10 finishers in each race to surpass the Pioneers in the meet standings. The Buffaloes have 353 points and a 37-point edge over Denver (316) at the conclusion of the alpine portion of the DU Invite, while the Pios are 31.5 points ahead of Utah in third place (284.5)
 
The Utes were led by Johs Herland once again, as he won his third straight men's race to start the 2026 campaign after sweeping both slaloms earlier in the week. CU's Justin Bigatel was runner-up, Filip Wahlqvist was third and Christoffer Oestroem placed behind Hunshammer in fifth.
 
Denver aims to make up ground in its home meet next month when the Nordic events take center stage at Maloit Park in Minturn, Colorado. The DU Invite resumes on Saturday, Feb. 7 with a 10-kilometer classical mass start before the meet wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 8 with the 7.5K freestyle interval start.
 
UP NEXT: The first week of alpine races conclude on Thursday with another day of giant slalom at Aspen Highlands to wrap up the Colorado Invitational.
 
 
DENVER WOMEN GIANT SLALOM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
2. Sara Rask, 2:01.71 (1:00.83/1:00.88)
10. Cecilia Pizzinato, 2:03.67 (1:02.85/1:00.82)
13. Mia Hunt, 2:04.12 (1:02.37/1:01.75)
15. Elisabeth Creighton, 2:04.34 (1:03.18/1:01.16)
21. Stella Buchheister, 2:04.99 (1:03.60/1:01.39)
22. Josephine Trueblood, 2:05.04 (1:03.85/1:01.20)
25. Nicola Rountree-Williams, 2:05.89 (1:02.12/1:04.18)
 
DENVER MEN GIANT SLALOM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
4. Adrian Minde Hunshammer, 2:00.95 (59.76/1:01.19)
9. Christian Soevik, 2:02:11 (59.51/1:02.60)
11. Pietro Motterlini, 2:02.25 (1:00.82/1:01.43)
T14. Thomas Hoffman, 2:02.81 (1:00.12/1:02.69)
22. Eirik Kveno, 2:03.23 (1:00.54/1:02.69)
DNF: Caman Beauregard
 
TEAM STANDINGS (through 4-of-8 events): 1. Colorado 353; 2. Denver 316; 3. Utah 284.5; 4. Montana State 214; 5. Alaska Anchorage 203; 6. Nevada 195.5; 7. Colorado Mountain 163; 8. Westminster 119
 
WOMEN'S GIANT SLALOM TOP 10 (32 finishers): 1. Louison Accambray, CU, 2:01.01; 2. Sara Rask, DU, 2:01.71; 3. Guro Hestad Vognild, WM, 2:02.75;  4. Cathinka Lunder, CU, 2:03.34; 5. Melanie Dahlberg, UU, 2:03.44; T6. Paige DeHart, CU, 2:03.54; T6. Alexa Brownlie, CU, 2:03.54; 8. Sarah Zoller, WM, 2:03.61;9. Erica Lynch, Nev, 2:03.65;  10. Cecilia Pizzinato, DU, 2:03.67.
 
MEN'S GIANT SLALOM TOP 10 (40 finishers): 1. Johs Herland, UU, 1:59.30; 2. Justin Bigatel, CU, 1:59.54; 3. Filip Wahlqvist, CU, 2:00.56; 4. Adrian Minde Hunshammer, DU, 2:00.95; 5. Christoffer Oestroem, CU, 2:00.97; 6. Sindre Myklebust, UU, 2:01.64; 7. Jay Poulter, UU, 2:01.87; 8. Feb Allasina, CU, 2:01.95; 9. Christian Soevik, DU, 2:02:11; 10. Gianluca Boehm, MSU, 2:02.13.


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