2018 Utah Ski Outlook

Ski Banner Bergstroem, Jordheim, Dupratt, Mohagen

12/20/2017 2:08 PM | Skiing

Utes return four All-Americans from 2017's NCAA title team.

The goal of any NCAA champion team is to repeat, and the goal is no different for the 2018 Utah ski team. The Utes return several of their top skiers from the team that won the NCAA Championship, but the squad will also look for returning and new skiers to step into key roles.

"I am very optimistic about this season's team," Utah director of skiing Kevin Sweeney said. "There is no doubt we lost a lot of talent, but at the same time, those that are returning are great skiers and they understand collegiate skiing and understand what the championship is about, that we have to score well as a team. At the same time, we've got to fill in some big holes and I feel good about the talent we've brought in. I'm looking at the returning athletes to really be leaders and help this new group adjust to college skiing. I think we have some great talent."

Utah returns four All-Americans from the 2017 team. Martin Bergström is a two-time NCAA Champion after winning both the men's classic and freestyle races at last year's championships. Guro Jordheim finished in the top six in the women's classic and freestyle races last season. Julie Mohagen is the women's 2016 NCAA slalom champion and a two-time All-American while Sam Dupratt finished second in the men's giant slalom at NCAA's last year.

"I think our strength this year is that we should be able to score well in each discipline," Sweeney said. "We've got good experience in each discipline and I feel we're quite balanced in that regard. We understand what our team and individual goals are. I feel like we've had one of the best periods of fall training that I've ever experienced. I feel like we've got a group that's got good heads on their shoulders. It feels good that we're all in and it's going in the right direction. We've done some things differently to foster team cohesiveness and unity, and having this new building has also made it easier for us to connect."

Nordic

"Everyone has high hopes and expectations and sure would like to defend that national championship title," Utah head Nordic coach Abi Holt said. "We did graduate over half of that team, but I'm not sure any of the new incoming athletes see it as a rebuilding year. They want to keep building on past successes. Everyone has high hopes. We've had a great fall of training, maybe our best ever since I've been here. This group has really managed the training load well and as a team this is the healthiest we have ever been through this fall segment. I think we're ready for what's coming."

In his first season at Utah last year, Bergström swept both the men's 10-km classic and 20-km freestyle races at the 2017 NCAA Championships. He was the USCSCA National Skier of the Year for men's Nordic and the RMISA Men's Nordic Athlete of the Year. Bergström had six podium finishes last year.

"Martin is definitely a strong leader for the team and it's nice for the incoming athletes to have the bar to train with every single day," Holt said. "They know what the level is and they get to work with him constantly, so I think that has already helped us. His goal is to defend both titles, and if he can do it he will truly be in the record books."

A pair of second year skiers will be looking to make it to the NCAA Championships this season after serving as alternates last year. Logan Diekmann had a season-best fourth-place finish last year in the sprint freestyle at the Seawolf Invite. He had two top-15 finishes in his first season. Jacob Engström's best finish last year was seventh in the sprint freestyle at the Seawolf Invite, and he had six top-15 finishes during the year.

Newcomer Håkon Hjelstuen of Trondheim, Norway, skied at Michigan Tech in 2015 as part of an exchange program. He competed at the 2015 NCAA Championships, finishing 34th in the 20-km classic and 40th in the 10-km freestyle. More recently, Hjelstuen won the 2017 Tour de Ski China, winning two of the six stages with four total podium finishes. Bjørn Riksaasen also joins the Utes from Vågå, Norway. He finished 19th in the 10-km classic and 48th in the 20-km freestyle at the 2017 Norwegian National Junior Championships. He skis for club Vaagaa II.

"Håkon competed at the NCAA Championships while sick, so I know he has a score to settle," Holt said.

On the women's side, Jordheim was a two-time All-American in her first season last year, finishing fifth in the 5-km classic and sixth in the 15-km freestyle at the NCAA Championships. The first-team All-RMISA selection had four podium finishes last year.

"Guro has definitely been a leader for the women's team," Holt said. "She landed second on the women's MVP list last year and I know she would like to move up a spot and grab her first NCAA championship as well."

Local product Leah Lange is also in her second season with the Utes. She had four top-15 finishes last year with a season-best 11^th-place finish in the sprint freestyle at the Seawolf Invite and was an NCAA alternate.

Utah adds two skiers in women's Nordic, Karianne Moe and Mariah Bredal. Moe was a member of the Junior National Norwegian Team in 2016-17 and finished 11th in the sprint and 16th in the 15-km freestyle at the 2017 Norwegian National Junior Championships. Bredal, who has dual Norwegian and American citizenship, attended Jackson Hole Community School (Wyoming) before moving to Norway to train beginning with the 2014-15 season. She finished 35th in U20 in the 5-km classic at the 2017 Norwegian National Junior Championship.

Alpine

"The team unity has been fantastic," Utah head alpine coach Jaka Korencan said. "We have been really fortunate with the team dynamics and their work ethic and seeing the team work together as one unit. We know who the players are, who the fastest skiers are and where our weaknesses are, and we're going to win or lose as a team. We're a little thin, especially with just three women's skiers, but the key is going to be to stay healthy and never give up. We'll need every single athlete to perform at a high level, and if we can make everyone just a little better, then I think we have a great chance to be very competitive this year.

"Training has been going really well. They have showed resilience and a hard work ethic in the gym. We have had several leaders step up, and I think our captains Julie and Sam are doing a phenomenal job. We have pushed the team really hard and they have shown a willingness to do whatever needs to be done. During our team retreat, we pushed them harder physically and mentally, and it was encouraging to see them work together, and I knew then that this team had huge potential. If we can keep working together as a team than I think we have a chance to surprise a lot of people."

Coming off a second-place finish in the giant slalom at the 2017 NCAA Championships, Dupratt returns to lead the men's alpine team. He had three wins last year, in the giant slalom races at the Montana State Invite, Utah Invite and UAA Invite. Dupratt had five podium finishes throughout the year.

Martin Grasic and Ty Sprock are both in their third season at Utah. Grasic has one top 10 finish and 10 top 15 finishes during his career at Utah while Sprock has one career podium finish, a third in the giant slalom at the 2016 Utah Invitational. Both have been alternates for the NCAA Championships.

The Utes add a pair of skiers, with Canadian Huston Philp and Fredrik Maurstad of Norway joining the team. Philp skied for the Canadian Development team last year and has a career-best Nor-Am Cup finish of fifth in the slalom at Panorama in 2016-17. Maurstad is a transfer from Colby-Sawyer College, finishing 21st in the giant slalom and 26th in the slalom at the 2017 NCAA Championships. He earned three top-10 finishes in EISA action last year.

In women's alpine, Mohagen is a two-time All-American and won the 2016 NCAA slalom championship. She is a two-time first-team All-RMISA skier and has four career wins and 10 career podium finishes.

Sabine Krautgasser had two top-10 finishes in her first season last year, including a season-best fifth in the slalom at the Seawolf Invite.

Of the Utah newcomers, Westminster transfer Ann-Kathrin Breuning is no stranger to the RMISA circuit. Breuning skied three seasons for the Griffins and her collegiate career includes three races wins (all in 2017) along with seven collegiate podiums and 13 top five finishes. Westminster is still in a provisional NCAA membership process, so this will be Breuning's first opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships.