LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Freshman Ruby Serrouya of the University of Denver ski team led the Pioneers on Tuesday in freestyle sprints on the second day of the 2026 U.S. Cross Country National Championships at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex.
 
Serrouya had the best qualifying result among DU athletes as she was 18th in the opening round to secure her spot in the knockout stages. The Revelstoke, British Columbia, native advanced all the way to the semifinals to finish ninth overall and first among juniors; she was second in her heat in the quarterfinals and fifth in her semifinal group.
 
The Denver rookie also won the U.S. junior championship for posting the fastest qualifying time of the day among under-20 athletes in 3:18.41.
 
Graduate student Sondre Oestervold for the men was the only other DU skier to advance out of qualifying, while freshman Synne Bollingmo just missed the cut by three-hundredths of a second after being 31st fastest in the women's race.
 
Oestervold qualified 27th and finished 25th overall. He placed fifth in his quarterfinal heat but battled back into the pack after a collision early on put him behind.
 
In total, 366 men and 283 women took part in freestyle sprint qualifying but only the top 30 of each advanced to the quarterfinals.
 
The Pioneers are opening their collegiate season at U.S. Nationals, with three of the four events also serving as races in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association. Freestyle sprints on Tuesday was the lone non-college event for Denver this week.
 
U.S. Cross Country Nationals began on Sunday with the 10-kilometer classic interval start, which doubled as the season-opening RMISA Invitational. Thursday's 20K freestyle mass start will be an individual RMISA Nordic qualifier for the NCAA Championships before the skiers conclude the RMISA Invite with classic sprints on Friday. RMISA athletes results are being pulled from the overall finish to score the college races.
 
UP NEXT: The 20K freestyle mass start on Thursday for the RMISA Nordic Qualifier begin at 8 a.m. MT for the women and 9:45 a.m. MT for the men.
 
 
DENVER WOMEN FREESTYLE SPRINTS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
9. Ruby Serrourya, 3:18.41 QFT, 3:13.54 QF, 3:14.86 SF
31. Synne Bollingmo, 3:23.46 QFT
48. Estelle Darbellay, 3:25.39 QFT
70. Maja Moland, 3:28.76 QFT
DNR: Eve-Ondine Duchaufour, Anna Stewart
 
DENVER MEN FREESTYLE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
25. Sondre Oestervold, 2:46.61 QFT, 2:53.73 QF
38. Eemil Juntunen, 2:47.81 QFT
*93. Elijah Weenig, 2:53.24 QFT
109. Joe Graziadei, 2:54.75 QFT
119. Micah Steinberg, 2:55.22 QFT
129. Yannick Zellweger, 2:55.95 QFT
168. Krystof Zatloukal, 2:58.04 QFT
 * - DU Skiing alum

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