Upcoming Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Freestyle (I) on January 24, 2026
Skiing
vs 7.5K Freestyle (I)
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Skiers Head to Denver Invitational
2/7/2011 12:00 AM | Skiing
Feb. 7, 2011
The University of Utah skiing team will have its final tune-up before the RMISA/NCAA Regional Championships at the Denver Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Aspen and Winter Park, Colo. In addition to the DU Invitational events, a Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Association qualifier in the giant slalom will be held on Friday.
The nordic events in DU Invitational will be held at the Aspen Valley Ski Club with the classical races beginning in an interval start at 11:15 a.m. Sunday's freestyle races will be held at 11 a.m. at the Snowmass Cross Country Center and will feature a mass start.
After Friday's RMISA giant slalom qualifier, the giant slalom races of the DU Invite will be held at the Winter Park Competition Center. The slalom races will be held on Sunday.
Utah has been one of the most consistent teams in the RMISA this season as the Utes have finished second in the overall team standings after all three meets. Utah will need to continue its solid performance this weekend if it is to move up to first place for its first team victory of the year.
Senior Maria Graefnings has led the way for the Ute women's nordic team this season, winning six consecutive races. The Falun, Sweden native extended her winning streak to six last weekend with a pair of victories at the New Mexico Invitational. She posted a 10k freestyle time of 29:27.7 on Saturday after capturing the 5km classical title on Friday. She will continue to wear the yellow bib this weekend in Aspen.
Didrik Smith turned in a pair of top-four finishes at New Mexico, including his first victory of the season in the 10k freestyle with a time of 25:59.5 on Saturday. He was also Utah's top finisher in the 5k classical race after crossing the finish line in 29:16.5 for fourth place overall. The Bekkestua, Norway native now owns three top-four finishes this season.
Tii-Maria Romar keyed Utah's consistency in the alpine races with a pair of runner-up finishes at the New Mexico Invitational. She ran the slalom course in 1:38.59 on Friday and posted a time of 1:36.97 in the giant slalom on Saturday. Romar has finished on the podium three times in 2011.
On the men's side, Torjus Krogdahl was Utah's highest finisher in Saturday's slalom race with a time of 1:35.90 for third place and his first podium finish of the season. Ryan Wilson joined Krogdahl in the top 10 in the slalom race, posting an eighth-place effort (1:36.98).
Utah's last appearance in the Denver Invitational was in 2009 when Eva Huckova led Utah with a third-place finish in the slalom to help the Utes to a third-place finish.
Players Mentioned
Nordic
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Alpine
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Alpine
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Nordic
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Alpine
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