PARK CITY, Utah – The Denver Pioneers ski team begins the 2026 NCAA National Championships this week at Utah Olympic Park in Park City and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway.
 
Denver begins its run for a 25th national title on Wednesday morning with alpine giant slalom at Utah Olympic Park. Nordic begins its nationals meet on Thursday at Soldier Hollow with the Nordick 7.5-kilometer classic interval start. Slalom wraps up the alpine races on Friday while a national champion will be crowned on Saturday following the 20K freestyle mass start.
 
The Nordic skiers had four races at Soldier Hollow this season, as they took part in the 7.5K freestyle and 15K classic in the Utah Invitational on Jan. 24-25 and the RMISA Championships/NCAA West Regionals less than two weeks ago on Feb. 27-28. Denver finished third at the RMISA Championships and earned a pair of runner-up results as a team during the campaign at its own DU Invitational and the Colorado Invite. Alpine raced at Utah Olympic Park two weeks ago to wrap up the Utah Invite on Feb. 22-24.
 
Denver qualified a full team for the national championships with 18 skiers being up for a spot, including all seven women's alpine athletes that were eligible.
 
The Pioneers are led by women's alpine graduate student Sara Rask, the defending national champion in both slalom and giant slalom that is set for her fourth NCAA Championships. Senior Mia Hunt made her third nationals squad and Cecilia Pizzinato is set for her debut as a freshman.
 
Men's alpine features senior Christian Soevik and sophomore Pietro Motterlini, who are both at their second nationals, as well as senior Adrian Minde Hunshammer, who is making his debut.
 
Three newcomers make up DU's men's Nordic group in graduate student Sondre Oestervold, sophomore Eemil Juntunen and freshman Yannick Zellweger. Senior Eve-Ondine Duchaufour and junior Maja Moland are at their second national championships after making their debut last year and are joined in women's Nordic with freshman Synne Bollingmo.
 
Denver had 12 players earn RMISA All-Conference honors during the season with Hunt, Pizzinato and Rask being named to the first team; Bollingmo, Duchaufour, Hunshammer, Juntunen, Motterlini, Soevik and Zellweger earned second-team honors; and women's Nordic's Ruby Serrouya and women's alpine's Stella Buchheister were recognized as honorable mentions. Rask also picked up RMISA Most Valuable Skier honors in women's slalom, her fifth conference MVP award of her career.
 
The University of Utah is hosting this year's NCAA championships for the first time since 2022 and will also host the event again in two years' time in 2028. Montana State was the original hosts this year, but it was announced last month that the event had to be relocated due to snow conditions this winter in Bozeman.
 
Live video of the national championship races is available on NCAA.com and live result links will be posted on DU skiing schedule page on DenverPioneers.com and RMISASkiing.com.
 
Full schedule of this week's races are below. Times are subject to change.
 
 
2026 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 10 (Utah Olympic Park)
8:45 a.m. MT – Men's alpine giant slalom, first run
9:45 a.m. MT – Women's alpine giant slalom, first run
12:00 p.m. MT – Men's alpine giant slalom, second run
1:00 p.m. MT – Women's alpine giant slalom, second run
 
Thursday, March 11 (Soldier Hollow Nordic Center)
9 a.m. MT – Men's Nordic 7.5K classic, interval start
10:30 a.m. MT – Women's Nordic 7.5K classic, interval start
 
Friday, March 12 (Utah Olympic Park)
9:00 a.m. MT – Women's alpine slalom, first run
9:45 a.m. MT – Men's alpine slalom, first run
11:45 a.m. MT – Women's alpine slalom, second run
12:45 p.m. MT – Men's alpine slalom, second run
 
Saturday, March 13 (Soldier Hollow Nordic Center)
9 a.m. MT – Men's Nordic 20K freestyle, mass start
10:30 a.m. MT – Women's Nordic 20K freestyle, mass start
 

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