LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The Denver Pioneers ski team continued its first week of collegiate racing at the U.S. Cross Country National Championship on Thursday with a RMISA Nordic Qualifier in the 20-kilometer Nordic freestyle.
Freshman
Ruby Serrouya led DU with a sixth-place finish among RMISA athletes in the mass start event at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Center, registering a time of 1:00:11.1. She earned her first top 10 in a RMISA race after coming in ninth overall and first among juniors in the non-college freestyle sprints race on Tuesday and was DU's top women's finisher in 11th during the RMISA Invitational's 10K classic on Sunday.
Fellow rookie
Synne Bollingmo made her collegiate debut and placed 11th in the RMISA race. Junior
Maja Moland came in 14th and freshman
Estelle Darbellay finished 18th.
Senior
Micah Steinberg paced Denver's men once again as he finished 11th in the RMISA Qualifier in 51:50.2. Freshman
Yannic Zellweger made his college debut in 13th while senior
Krystof Zatloukal came in 18th. Graduate student
Sondre Oestervold also raced for the first time in a college event and posted a 19th-place result, and sophomore
Joe Graziadei was 21st in his first event of the season.
Additionally, Denver skiing alum and 2025 graduate
Elijah Weenig finished 35th overall in the men's 20K while representing Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.
No team scores were recorded in Thursday's race as it served as an extra qualifying event for the NCAA Championships in March for the RMISA athletes. The student-athletes' finishes were pulled from the overall results to make up the second RMISA race of the calendar year.
Utah's Mons Melbye won the RMISA race with his first collegiate victory and was joined on the men's podium with Colorado's Jakob Moch in second and teammate Zach Jayne in third. CU's Tilde Baangman earned her second podium and first win of the season on the women's side. Alaska Fairbanks' Rosie Fordham was second and the Utes' Neve Gerrard was third.
UP NEXT: Denver wraps up its time in Lake Placid on Friday with classic sprints at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. Qualifying begins at 8 a.m. MT and the knockout rounds start at 10:30 a.m. MT. Classic sprints will wrap up the first meet of the season—the Nordic-only RMISA Invitational that began on Sunday with the 10K classic.
DENVER WOMEN 20K FREESTYLE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
6.
Ruby Serrouya, 1:00:11.1
11.
Synne Bollingmo, 1:03:40.7
14.
Maja Moland, 1:05:04.9
18.
Estelle Darbellay, 1:06:37.5
DNR:
Eve-Ondine Duchaufour,
Anna Stewart
DENVER MEN 20K FREESTYLE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
11.
Micah Steinberg, 51:50.2
13. Yannik Zellweger, 52:23.7
18. Krystof Zatoulkal, 54:15.5
19.
Sondre Oestervold, 54:55.2
21.
Joe Graziadei, 55:39.7
DNS:
Eemil Juntunen
MEN'S 20K FREESTYLE TOP 10 (24 RMISA finishers): 1. Mons Melbye, UU, 47:38.0; 2. Jakob Moch, CU, 47:39.7; 3. Zach Jayne, UU, 47:49.1; 4. Ben Dohlby, UAF, 49:36.3; 5. Simon Chappaz, MSU, 49:57.9; 6. Corbin Carpenter, UAA, 50:05.6; 7. Phillip Moosmayer, UAF, 50:11.5; 8. Erling Bjoernstad, UAA, 50:21.0; 9. Galvin Galyardt, MSU, 50:23.8; 10. Luka Riley, CU, 51:25.8
WOMEN'S 20K FREESTYLE TOP 10 (19 RMISA finishers): 1.Tilde Baangman, CU, 56:16.1; 2. Rosie Fordham, UAF, 57:52.2; 3. Neva Gerrard, UU, 58:36.6; 4. Selma Nevin, CU, 1:00:02.9; 5. Katey Houser, MSU, 1:00:09.6;
6. Ruby Serrouya, DU, 1:00:11.1; 7. Nina Schamberger, CU, 1:00:14.7; 8. Marlie Molinaro, UAA, 1:02:17.0; 9. Elena Grissom, CU, 1:02:28.5; 10. Maria Flora, UAA, 1:02:42.7
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