Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st
Final Score
Skiing
1st
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
Saturday, January 20
Park City, UT
All Day
University of Utah
vs
Giant Slalom
Photo by: Jackson Bilawa/Utah Athletics
Utes Claim Victory in Utah Invitational
1/20/2024 5:35 PM | Skiing
Three top-10 GS results; Lafreniere wins second run on final day of meet
PARK CITY, Utah – Capping off four straight days of racing at the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center at the Utah Olympic Park, the Utah Ski Team came away victorious in the Utah Invitational as giant slalom races closed the meet on Saturday.
It was the second straight day of GS on the hill; teams also competed in the discipline on Friday but scored yesterday as part of the Westminster Invitational.
Utah finishes its home meet with 657 points, ahead of Denver (568) and Colorado (559) to wrap up the top-three. For the Utes, the total broke down to 339 men's points and 318 on the women's side, both the most of any team. Combined, it included 275 alpine points and 392 in Nordic, the latter leading all teams in the meet.
Kaja Norbye once again led the Utes on the women's side Saturday with a fourth-place finish (2:10.34), using a top-three second run to climb up from ninth place at the break. Kaila Lafreniere contributed her first finish as a Ute with a top-15 performance (2:12.13) and Michelle Kervén rounded out the scoring with a 2:15.30 time, placing 24th. Melanie Dahlberg had her first GS start as a Ute, tabbing 25th (2:18.25).
It was a great second run for Lafreniere, whose trip into the finish took 1:05.62 and was the leading run of the afternoon.
Utah had two men in the top-nine, led by an eighth-place line for Mikkel Solbakken (2:04.66) and Oliver Parazette in ninth (2:04.75). Raphael Lessard placed 12th with a total time of 2:05.17. Sindre Myklebust also contributed a 17th-place finish (2:05.73).
Solbakken's first run time of 1:00.81 was third-best in the men's field.
"Kaila Lafreniere has had the speed all Fall and the beginning of this season," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "Once she had her first run finish today, she was able to go a little more in the second run. She's showing what she can do. Kaja Norbye battled and there's a lot to see there. The guys are as fast as anyone. I have no doubt with a little bit of training that we'll be firing once we hit Steamboat in a couple weeks. We'll be able to get back on this hill and get some length and training. I think we can start to dial in some things."
Next Up
The Utes now enjoy a bit of a break in the RMISA schedule. Teams will be idle on the college circuit next weekend both on the alpine and Nordic sides of the house, then alpine resume competition on Thursday, February 1, with a GS qualifier in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. That race is not part of a meet so no team scores will be kept, but individual results will count toward qualification for the NCAA Championships.
It will, however, lead into the Colorado Invitational, which begins with a doubleheader of races on Friday, February 2. Alpine will have another giant slalom at Steamboat Resort, while Nordic teams will race a 7.5K freestyle at Howelsen Hill Ski Area.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahskiteam).
It was the second straight day of GS on the hill; teams also competed in the discipline on Friday but scored yesterday as part of the Westminster Invitational.
Utah finishes its home meet with 657 points, ahead of Denver (568) and Colorado (559) to wrap up the top-three. For the Utes, the total broke down to 339 men's points and 318 on the women's side, both the most of any team. Combined, it included 275 alpine points and 392 in Nordic, the latter leading all teams in the meet.
Kaja Norbye once again led the Utes on the women's side Saturday with a fourth-place finish (2:10.34), using a top-three second run to climb up from ninth place at the break. Kaila Lafreniere contributed her first finish as a Ute with a top-15 performance (2:12.13) and Michelle Kervén rounded out the scoring with a 2:15.30 time, placing 24th. Melanie Dahlberg had her first GS start as a Ute, tabbing 25th (2:18.25).
It was a great second run for Lafreniere, whose trip into the finish took 1:05.62 and was the leading run of the afternoon.
Utah had two men in the top-nine, led by an eighth-place line for Mikkel Solbakken (2:04.66) and Oliver Parazette in ninth (2:04.75). Raphael Lessard placed 12th with a total time of 2:05.17. Sindre Myklebust also contributed a 17th-place finish (2:05.73).
Solbakken's first run time of 1:00.81 was third-best in the men's field.
"Kaila Lafreniere has had the speed all Fall and the beginning of this season," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "Once she had her first run finish today, she was able to go a little more in the second run. She's showing what she can do. Kaja Norbye battled and there's a lot to see there. The guys are as fast as anyone. I have no doubt with a little bit of training that we'll be firing once we hit Steamboat in a couple weeks. We'll be able to get back on this hill and get some length and training. I think we can start to dial in some things."
Next Up
The Utes now enjoy a bit of a break in the RMISA schedule. Teams will be idle on the college circuit next weekend both on the alpine and Nordic sides of the house, then alpine resume competition on Thursday, February 1, with a GS qualifier in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. That race is not part of a meet so no team scores will be kept, but individual results will count toward qualification for the NCAA Championships.
It will, however, lead into the Colorado Invitational, which begins with a doubleheader of races on Friday, February 2. Alpine will have another giant slalom at Steamboat Resort, while Nordic teams will race a 7.5K freestyle at Howelsen Hill Ski Area.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahskiteam).
Players Mentioned
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