Upcoming Event: Skiing at 7.5K Classic (I) on February 14, 2026 at 9:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
Skiing
at 7.5K Classic (I)
The University of Utah Athletics
Friday, February 13
Steamboat Springs, Colo. / Howelsen Hill
10 a.m.
University of Utah
at
20K Freestyle (M)
Photo by: Matan Coll
Jayne, Lavén win Freestyle Mass Starts in Steamboat
2/13/2026 5:45 PM | Skiing
Pair of Utah Utes land atop podium, five women place in top-10
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Zachary Jayne and Erica Lavén won their respective competitions as the Utah Ski Team raced 20K freestyle mass start events on Friday at Howelsen Hill.
Utah placed all five of its women's finishers in the top-10, a key factor in the Utes winning that event with 100 points. For the overall meet, the Utes are in third place with 454 points—the host Buffaloes are in the lead (502) and Denver (493) is in second place.
Director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt said, "Today was a great day for our women and Zach. Zach stayed with the leaders all the way and won rather easily in the end. Erica was in a class of her own today, skiing away from the field and getting alone after about 1K. Witta had her best ever skate race and challenged the top two CU women for the entire race. Sofia skied very smart and moved up on the last few laps. Ally and Selma also had good races."
Conditions were rather challenging for today's races with warm and soft snow. It's anticipated Steamboat Springs should be a little colder for Saturday's classic races.
Men's Race
Making his first college start since January 9, Zachary Jayne picked up his second win of the season after clocking a 20K time of 57:03.8. He now has four podiums in four college races this season, while Jayne now has four wins in his two seasons at Utah.
The Utes also received key points in the team standings with a top-20 finish from Lucas Wilmot (1:01:43.2). Walker Hall started for Utah but was unable to finish.
Women's Race
Erica Lavén's victory was her fifth in five starts this season and 13th over her two seasons at Utah. Her winning time of 1:06:51.9 gave her more than 90 seconds of padding.
Witta Walcher narrowly missed the podium but still had a season-best with a fourth place result (1:09:49.6). Sofia Pedersen was behind her in fifth (1:11:28.7) to put all of Utah's scoring in the top five and secure the team race win.
Ally Wheeler (9th) and Selma Andersen (10th) capped off a strong day for Utah's women's lineup. Neve Gerard was also in action for the Utes but did not finish.
Next Up
Utah and teams from around the RMISA will conclude the Colorado Invitational on Saturday with 7.5K classic interval start races. Action begins at 9:30 a.m. from Howelsen Hill.
Alpine action picks back up on Sunday, Feb. 22, when the Utes open a three-day stretch of home races from the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center at the Utah Olympic Park.
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
Utah placed all five of its women's finishers in the top-10, a key factor in the Utes winning that event with 100 points. For the overall meet, the Utes are in third place with 454 points—the host Buffaloes are in the lead (502) and Denver (493) is in second place.
Director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt said, "Today was a great day for our women and Zach. Zach stayed with the leaders all the way and won rather easily in the end. Erica was in a class of her own today, skiing away from the field and getting alone after about 1K. Witta had her best ever skate race and challenged the top two CU women for the entire race. Sofia skied very smart and moved up on the last few laps. Ally and Selma also had good races."
Conditions were rather challenging for today's races with warm and soft snow. It's anticipated Steamboat Springs should be a little colder for Saturday's classic races.
Men's Race
Making his first college start since January 9, Zachary Jayne picked up his second win of the season after clocking a 20K time of 57:03.8. He now has four podiums in four college races this season, while Jayne now has four wins in his two seasons at Utah.
The Utes also received key points in the team standings with a top-20 finish from Lucas Wilmot (1:01:43.2). Walker Hall started for Utah but was unable to finish.
Women's Race
Erica Lavén's victory was her fifth in five starts this season and 13th over her two seasons at Utah. Her winning time of 1:06:51.9 gave her more than 90 seconds of padding.
Witta Walcher narrowly missed the podium but still had a season-best with a fourth place result (1:09:49.6). Sofia Pedersen was behind her in fifth (1:11:28.7) to put all of Utah's scoring in the top five and secure the team race win.
Ally Wheeler (9th) and Selma Andersen (10th) capped off a strong day for Utah's women's lineup. Neve Gerard was also in action for the Utes but did not finish.
Next Up
Utah and teams from around the RMISA will conclude the Colorado Invitational on Saturday with 7.5K classic interval start races. Action begins at 9:30 a.m. from Howelsen Hill.
Alpine action picks back up on Sunday, Feb. 22, when the Utes open a three-day stretch of home races from the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center at the Utah Olympic Park.
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
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