Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st
Final Score
Skiing
1st
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
Wednesday, February 23
Steamboat Springs, Colo.
All Day
University of Utah
vs
Giant Slalom
Two Utes Hit Giant Slalom Podium at RMISA Championships
2/23/2022 5:42 PM | Skiing
Parazette claims silver in men’s GS, Norbye tabs bronze in women’s event as Utah leads team standings
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Oliver Parazette hit his first collegiate podium with a second-place finish and Kaja Norbye continued an outstanding freshman season with a third-place performance as the 2022 RMISA Championships got underway on Wednesday with giant slalom racing at Mount Werner.
Utah (164 points) sits atop the team standings after day one of racing and holds a 12-point lead on Denver. The RMISA Championships now shift to Howelsen Hill Ski Area, with the slalom next up on Thursday, Feb. 24.
The Utes' team scoring was aided by also claiming the Nos. 4 and 5 spots in the men's race. Joachim Lien finished fourth and Wilhelm Normannseth took the fifth spot. Jeremy Mathers was 22nd on the day.
"It was great to have Oliver back after taking a race off," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "He had a good start with the conditions. He said he was going to win the second run. People say that a lot, but he really, really charged in some challenging light. He made some big moves in that second run. He's been starting to figure it out in GS."
After finishing 20th on the first run, Parazette had a solid bounce-back on his second trip down the hill with a time of 57.42—best in the field and vaulting the freshman to the podium. Lien added a first run that was third-fastest.
It was Parazette's second top-10 performance as a Ute, the other coming in slalom during January's Montana State Invitational. Lien had his fourth top-five of the season, all in GS, and 24th of his career overall. The fifth-place effort reset Normannseth's best for a giant slalom race, previously sixth which Normannseth has logged twice at Utah.
"It was our depth at work again—another different guy was up there," Johnson continued. "You just can't script these days with how many different people are stepping up on a given race day."
Utah was a little more spread out on the women's side as behind Norbye was Sona Moravcikova in 11th place and Michelle Kervén in 26th. Both Katie Parker and Katie Vesterstein were unable to finish their first runs, but will be back for Thursday's slalom.
Norbye sat fourth in the field after the morning run, and used a second-fastest run in the afternoon to earn bronze. She has hit the podium in her last four GS finishes, and clocked in the top-10 for the fourth straight race--which includes this past Monday's slalom at the Denver Invitational.
"Kaja has a natural ability where she's going to be fast every day," Johnson said of Norbye. "But she was not super comfortable before. She's getting to a spot where she can ski with a lot more power and look for even more speed, and that is great. She's realized that she is in control now, not the course. Once I heard her say that a few weeks ago, I knew we were headed the right way."
Colorado, the host of the 2022 RMISA Championships, is providing live streaming of all eight championship races through Saturday, Feb. 26. Coverage continues on the CU Athletics YouTube channel (BuffsTV) with Thursday's slalom beginning at 9 a.m. MT.
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahskiteam).
More Utah News & Notes
Utah (164 points) sits atop the team standings after day one of racing and holds a 12-point lead on Denver. The RMISA Championships now shift to Howelsen Hill Ski Area, with the slalom next up on Thursday, Feb. 24.
The Utes' team scoring was aided by also claiming the Nos. 4 and 5 spots in the men's race. Joachim Lien finished fourth and Wilhelm Normannseth took the fifth spot. Jeremy Mathers was 22nd on the day.
"It was great to have Oliver back after taking a race off," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "He had a good start with the conditions. He said he was going to win the second run. People say that a lot, but he really, really charged in some challenging light. He made some big moves in that second run. He's been starting to figure it out in GS."
After finishing 20th on the first run, Parazette had a solid bounce-back on his second trip down the hill with a time of 57.42—best in the field and vaulting the freshman to the podium. Lien added a first run that was third-fastest.
It was Parazette's second top-10 performance as a Ute, the other coming in slalom during January's Montana State Invitational. Lien had his fourth top-five of the season, all in GS, and 24th of his career overall. The fifth-place effort reset Normannseth's best for a giant slalom race, previously sixth which Normannseth has logged twice at Utah.
"It was our depth at work again—another different guy was up there," Johnson continued. "You just can't script these days with how many different people are stepping up on a given race day."
Utah was a little more spread out on the women's side as behind Norbye was Sona Moravcikova in 11th place and Michelle Kervén in 26th. Both Katie Parker and Katie Vesterstein were unable to finish their first runs, but will be back for Thursday's slalom.
Norbye sat fourth in the field after the morning run, and used a second-fastest run in the afternoon to earn bronze. She has hit the podium in her last four GS finishes, and clocked in the top-10 for the fourth straight race--which includes this past Monday's slalom at the Denver Invitational.
"Kaja has a natural ability where she's going to be fast every day," Johnson said of Norbye. "But she was not super comfortable before. She's getting to a spot where she can ski with a lot more power and look for even more speed, and that is great. She's realized that she is in control now, not the course. Once I heard her say that a few weeks ago, I knew we were headed the right way."
Colorado, the host of the 2022 RMISA Championships, is providing live streaming of all eight championship races through Saturday, Feb. 26. Coverage continues on the CU Athletics YouTube channel (BuffsTV) with Thursday's slalom beginning at 9 a.m. MT.
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahskiteam).
More Utah News & Notes
- The Utes will be a little shorthanded later this week during Nordic races with six athletes in Lygna, Norway at the FIS Junior/U23 World Championships. It includes Brian Bushey, Walker Hall and Sydney Palmer-Leger in World Junior Championships action, along with Abby Jarzin, Samuel Hendry and Noel Keeffe in U23 racing.
- It's been a strong start for the group of Utes competing in Norway, most recently with Bushey and Hall combining for two legs on the United States' bronze-medal-winning men's 4x5km relay team.
- Palmer-Leger opened the championships racing slate with a sixth-place effort in the 15km freestyle mass start, and had the final leg on the United States 4x3.3km relay team that claimed fifth.
- Bushey (16th) and Hall (31st) also competed in the 30km freestyle mass start.
- U23 races get underway in Lygna on Thursday, Feb. 24. Jarzin will represent the United States in the 10km classic race (5 a.m. MT), and the men's 15km classic will include both Samuel Hendry (Canada) and Noel Keeffe (United States) beginning at 7 a.m. MT.
- Click here for complete details on live timing, start lists and streaming at the FIS Junior/U23 World Championships.
Players Mentioned
Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ SkiingSeven New Inductees to Join Utah Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2025
Monday, July 28
University of Utah Athletics - A Storied History
Friday, August 02
Last weekend, Sydney Palmer-Leger won the 7.5K freestyle earning her THIRD national title! 🏆 🏆 🏆
Wednesday, March 13
Utah Skiing National Championship 2023!!
Friday, May 26