Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st
Final Score
Skiing
1st
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
Monday, January 6
Georgetown, Colo. / Loveland Ski Area
University of Utah
vs
Slalom
Sindre Myklebust delivered a top-eight finish in Monday's slalom from Loveland Ski Area (photo courtesy Ron Knabenbauer)
Alpine Utes Post Six Top-10s in Season Opener
1/6/2025 3:48 PM | Skiing
Utah raced a slalom on Monday before beginning the Denver Invitational
GEORGETOWN, Colo. – The Utah Ski Team began the alpine portion of the 2025 schedule on Monday, racing a slalom at Loveland Ski Area that served as an RMISA qualifier race.
Since the event was a qualifier and not part of a meet, no team scores were kept. But results for the individual skiers will still count toward qualification for the NCAA Championships.
Utah totaled six results in the top-10 between the men's and women's races. For the women, Kaja Norbye was the top Ute with a fifth-place performance, while Raphael Lessard tabbed the top-four on the men's side.
"We had unfavorable surface conditions today, so it was challenging," said head coach JJ Johnson. "But the athletes were all calm and executed. They knew it was unfavorable for everyone else too. They didn't get mad at the snow. Six guys were in the top-14, so that shows the pace of that group. Across the board, the whole group is firing pretty good. Kaja Norbye is going to work right back into her magic. And it was nice to see Kaila Lafreniere in the top-10--she showed what she has been doing all Fall and the changes she's made. For the 12 athletes we have here, nobody had a bad day. It was a good day."
Women's Race
Kaja Norbye and Claire Timmermann finished 5-6 in the women's race to lead Utah, with Norbye combining her two runs for a time of 1:31.90 and Timmermann following in 1:32.00. Making her top finish as a Ute in a slalom race, Kaila Lafreniere clocked a time of 1:32.77 to place 10th.
Melanie Dahlberg was 18th on the day. Evelina Fredricsson made her first start as a Ute in the race and was 10th at the break, but was unable to finish the second run and will be back in action on Tuesday.
"Today was a great day," said Timmermann. "It's exciting to finally show my speed in slalom. But I'm most thrilled about how strong our depth is on the alpine team. Today we had tough conditions, and to have such great results across the board is telling on what we can do this season."
Norbye's opening run clocked in at 44.10 seconds, the third-best in the field.
Men's Race
Utah had Raphael Lessard (1:28.80) and Oliver Parazette (1:28.91) take the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. The Utes also had Sindre Myklebust (1:29.56) tie for eighth place, while Wilhelm Normannseth narrowly missed the top-10 with an 11th place result.
Making their respective debuts, Harry Hoffman was 13th and Johs Braathen Herland was 14th in the final standings. Simen Strand also donned a Utah bib for the first time and placed 47th.
"Overall, it was a good day," said Parazette. "The team did great. The conditions were really tough and the snow was very soft. But the team still managed to come through. It seemed like everyone had good things going on!"
Parazette had a top-four first run, while Herland climbed from 23rd to 14th after winning the second run.
Next Up | Full Schedule
The Utes will be right back at it on Tuesday, racing another slalom at Loveland Ski Area. This time, it'll be part of the Denver Invitational. First run in the women's event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with the men following at 10:15 a.m.
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!
Since the event was a qualifier and not part of a meet, no team scores were kept. But results for the individual skiers will still count toward qualification for the NCAA Championships.
Utah totaled six results in the top-10 between the men's and women's races. For the women, Kaja Norbye was the top Ute with a fifth-place performance, while Raphael Lessard tabbed the top-four on the men's side.
"We had unfavorable surface conditions today, so it was challenging," said head coach JJ Johnson. "But the athletes were all calm and executed. They knew it was unfavorable for everyone else too. They didn't get mad at the snow. Six guys were in the top-14, so that shows the pace of that group. Across the board, the whole group is firing pretty good. Kaja Norbye is going to work right back into her magic. And it was nice to see Kaila Lafreniere in the top-10--she showed what she has been doing all Fall and the changes she's made. For the 12 athletes we have here, nobody had a bad day. It was a good day."
Women's Race
Kaja Norbye and Claire Timmermann finished 5-6 in the women's race to lead Utah, with Norbye combining her two runs for a time of 1:31.90 and Timmermann following in 1:32.00. Making her top finish as a Ute in a slalom race, Kaila Lafreniere clocked a time of 1:32.77 to place 10th.
Melanie Dahlberg was 18th on the day. Evelina Fredricsson made her first start as a Ute in the race and was 10th at the break, but was unable to finish the second run and will be back in action on Tuesday.
"Today was a great day," said Timmermann. "It's exciting to finally show my speed in slalom. But I'm most thrilled about how strong our depth is on the alpine team. Today we had tough conditions, and to have such great results across the board is telling on what we can do this season."
Norbye's opening run clocked in at 44.10 seconds, the third-best in the field.
Men's Race
Utah had Raphael Lessard (1:28.80) and Oliver Parazette (1:28.91) take the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. The Utes also had Sindre Myklebust (1:29.56) tie for eighth place, while Wilhelm Normannseth narrowly missed the top-10 with an 11th place result.
Making their respective debuts, Harry Hoffman was 13th and Johs Braathen Herland was 14th in the final standings. Simen Strand also donned a Utah bib for the first time and placed 47th.
"Overall, it was a good day," said Parazette. "The team did great. The conditions were really tough and the snow was very soft. But the team still managed to come through. It seemed like everyone had good things going on!"
Parazette had a top-four first run, while Herland climbed from 23rd to 14th after winning the second run.
Next Up | Full Schedule
The Utes will be right back at it on Tuesday, racing another slalom at Loveland Ski Area. This time, it'll be part of the Denver Invitational. First run in the women's event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with the men following at 10:15 a.m.
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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