Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st
Final Score
Skiing
1st
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
Thursday, January 2
Anchorage, Alaska / Kincaid Park
University of Utah
at
10K Freestyle (I)
Hall and Lavén Lead Utah Ski Team in Opener From Alaska
1/2/2025 6:50 PM | Skiing
Pair skied to 10K freestyle podiums at UAA Invitational and U.S. Nationals
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Utah Ski Team officially kicked off the 2025 season on Thursday, racing in a 10K freestyle interval start at Kincaid Park as part of the Alaska Anchorage Invitational. Today's race was held within the larger U.S. Cross Country National Championships.
Walker Hall led the Utes on the men's side with a runner-up finish, while freshman Erica Lavén debuted with a bronze medal in the women's race. As a team, Utah has the early lead in the UAA Invitational standings with 172 points; it's a 10-point advantage on Denver.
"There were huge fields today with over 200 men competing and almost as many women," said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "It was a very good day overall; we had fantastic racing with Walker and Erica finishing on the podium and Walker as the second American. We also dominated the junior podiums. Lucas Wilmot had his best-ever skate race and Nina Schamberger and Neve Gerard skied very well. Great way to start the season!"
Men's Race
The Utes were led on the men's side by Walker Hall's second-place finish (21:38), which saw Hall battling within four seconds of Andreas Kirkeng of Denver after the first lap. Utah's Brian Bushey (21:59.3) just missed the podium in fourth place, while Lucas Wilmot scored team points in his collegiate debut with a top-15 result (22:41.7).
Both Hall and Bushey were in the top-five for each of the two lap splits on the 5K course.
With the competition being part of U.S. Nationals, Hall was third on the overall podium and second on the U.S. podium. Wilmot's performance also put him first on the junior podium.
Hall said post-race, "It was fast and firm skiing, which made for a really quick race. I knew the times were going to be close, so I tried to start hard and carry good speed. Thankfully, I felt strong and had fast skis! Overall, it was an awesome day and a great way to kick off the college season!"
Carl Rune (16th) and Zachary Jayne (21st) also raced for Utah. The Utes were without Joe Davies in today's freestyle, but hope to have Davies back in the lineup for Sunday's 20K classic mass start.
Utah alumnus Luke Jager was third on the U.S. podium.
Women's Race
Thanks to three Utes in the top-seven, Utah led the women's team scoring with 86 points in the race.
Racing for the first time on the RMISA circuit, Erica Lavén took bronze on the RMISA podium with a time of 24:58.3. She was followed up by fellow freshman Selma Nevin in sixth place (25:47.8) and Nina Schamberger, who began her sophomore season with a top-seven result (25:57.7).
The Utes also had Neve Gerard finish 11th in her collegiate debut and Celine Mayer placed 12th.
"We had really good skis and the surroundings were so nice," Lavén said. "It's always a challenge with the cold, but it was still a good day. Hoping it'll be a little warmer on the upcoming days!"
Lavén, who also was third on the women's senior podium, had the second-fastest opening lap time among the collegiate field. Schamberger's skiing put her second on the junior podium with Gerard right next to her in third.
Former Ute and Park City, Utah, native Sydney Palmer-Leger placed seventh in the overall race field.
Next Up | Full Schedule
The Utes will return to Kincaid Park on Sunday, January 5, concluding the Nordic portion of the Alaska Anchorage Invitational with a 20K classic mass start at Kincaid Park.
The alpine season opener is right around the corner as well, with the Utes competing at Loveland Ski Area in Colorado on Monday, January 6. That slalom competition will be an RMISA qualifier race.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utes on social media @utahskiteam.
Official Mobile App of Utah Athletics – Utah 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today for access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos directly from your mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
Walker Hall led the Utes on the men's side with a runner-up finish, while freshman Erica Lavén debuted with a bronze medal in the women's race. As a team, Utah has the early lead in the UAA Invitational standings with 172 points; it's a 10-point advantage on Denver.
"There were huge fields today with over 200 men competing and almost as many women," said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "It was a very good day overall; we had fantastic racing with Walker and Erica finishing on the podium and Walker as the second American. We also dominated the junior podiums. Lucas Wilmot had his best-ever skate race and Nina Schamberger and Neve Gerard skied very well. Great way to start the season!"
Men's Race
The Utes were led on the men's side by Walker Hall's second-place finish (21:38), which saw Hall battling within four seconds of Andreas Kirkeng of Denver after the first lap. Utah's Brian Bushey (21:59.3) just missed the podium in fourth place, while Lucas Wilmot scored team points in his collegiate debut with a top-15 result (22:41.7).
Both Hall and Bushey were in the top-five for each of the two lap splits on the 5K course.
With the competition being part of U.S. Nationals, Hall was third on the overall podium and second on the U.S. podium. Wilmot's performance also put him first on the junior podium.
Hall said post-race, "It was fast and firm skiing, which made for a really quick race. I knew the times were going to be close, so I tried to start hard and carry good speed. Thankfully, I felt strong and had fast skis! Overall, it was an awesome day and a great way to kick off the college season!"
Carl Rune (16th) and Zachary Jayne (21st) also raced for Utah. The Utes were without Joe Davies in today's freestyle, but hope to have Davies back in the lineup for Sunday's 20K classic mass start.
Utah alumnus Luke Jager was third on the U.S. podium.
Women's Race
Thanks to three Utes in the top-seven, Utah led the women's team scoring with 86 points in the race.
Racing for the first time on the RMISA circuit, Erica Lavén took bronze on the RMISA podium with a time of 24:58.3. She was followed up by fellow freshman Selma Nevin in sixth place (25:47.8) and Nina Schamberger, who began her sophomore season with a top-seven result (25:57.7).
The Utes also had Neve Gerard finish 11th in her collegiate debut and Celine Mayer placed 12th.
"We had really good skis and the surroundings were so nice," Lavén said. "It's always a challenge with the cold, but it was still a good day. Hoping it'll be a little warmer on the upcoming days!"
Lavén, who also was third on the women's senior podium, had the second-fastest opening lap time among the collegiate field. Schamberger's skiing put her second on the junior podium with Gerard right next to her in third.
Former Ute and Park City, Utah, native Sydney Palmer-Leger placed seventh in the overall race field.
Next Up | Full Schedule
The Utes will return to Kincaid Park on Sunday, January 5, concluding the Nordic portion of the Alaska Anchorage Invitational with a 20K classic mass start at Kincaid Park.
The alpine season opener is right around the corner as well, with the Utes competing at Loveland Ski Area in Colorado on Monday, January 6. That slalom competition will be an RMISA qualifier race.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utes on social media @utahskiteam.
Official Mobile App of Utah Athletics – Utah 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today for access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos directly from your mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
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