Lavén Captures Gold at RMISA Championships

Friday, February 27

Bozeman, Mont. / Bridger Bowl

9:30 AM

University of Utah

Slalom

University of Utah skier Erica Laven competes in the 7.5K Classic nordic race during the RMISA Championships Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Heber City, Ut. MSU photo by Colter Peterson

Photo by: Colter Peterson

2/27/2026 4:16 PM | Skiing

Day 1 Results

Utes lead the team standings after Day 1

MIDWAY, Utah / BOZEMAN, Mont. – Sophomore Erica Lavén won the women's 7.5K classic race and Utah's men's alpine team placed three in the top five of the slalom to propel the Utes to first place in the team standings after Day One of the RMISA Championships.

Alpine competition is taking place at Bridger Bowl in Bozeman, Mont., and Nordic races at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah. The RMISA Championships also serve as the NCAA West Regional.

"Great first day of Regionals today," said Utah's Director of Skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "The team is coming together and we got some great results on the alpine slope and Nordic trails. Another win for Erica and she is in a class by herself right now. Just great to see the confidence she has and no one was close to her today."

Lavén won the 7.5K classic by a whopping 47 seconds to claim her seventh win in seven starts this season and lead four top-10 finishers for Utah. It is Lavén's second RMISA/NCAA West Regional individual championship, adding to the 20K freestyle gold she claimed last season as a freshman.

Junior Sindre Myklebust earned a podium finish by claiming the bronze medal in the men's slalom to lead three top-5 finishers for the Utes. He was followed just three one-hundredths of a second behind by Johs Braathen Herland, while Pierick Charest placed fifth.

Utah's first-place total of 344 points after Day One leaves the Utes 54 points ahead of second-place Denver (290) and 58 points ahead of third-place Colorado (286) to round out the top three.

"We hope to come out on fire again tomorrow and bring home our first team win of the season and another Regional Championship title," Landstedt added.

NORDIC – 7.5K Classic
Lavén's winning time of 23:15.4 during today's interval start led a quartet of top-10 finishers for Utah. Witta Walcher placed fifth (24:29.3), Sofia Pedersen finished seventh (25:14.8) and Selma Andersen was eighth (25:22.2).

It was Walcher's sixth top-10 finish this season, and Pedersen's eighth in eight starts. Anderson claimed her highest finish of the season and her second top-10 placement.

On the men's Nordic side, Zachary Jayne placed third in 18:48.5 to lead the Utah contingent and claim his sixth podium finish in six starts this season. Mons Melbye claimed his sixth top-10 finish in six starts by placing fifth (18:53.8), and was followed by Walker Hall in 12th (19:49.5) and Lucas Wilmot in 16th (20:01.0).

ALPINE – Slalom
Myklebust's third-place time of 1:43.75 narrowly edged out Herland (1:43.78) for the podium, and Charest rounded out the top five with a combined time of 1:44.04. Myklebust was consistent, finishing in fifth place on both runs. Herland's fourth-place performance was fueled by a strong first run of 52.45, which placed him third at the turn. Charest claimed the fastest time of the first run with a blistering 52.18 to position himself well for his eventual fifth-place finish.

Today marked Myklebust's second podium finish of the season.

Christina Jacobsen led a trio of top-10 finishers for Utah's women's alpine team in today's slalom, placing sixth with a combined time of 1:47.14. Kaila Lafreniere was close behind in 1:47.66, good for eighth place, and Melanie Dahlberg placed ninth in 1:48.03. Dahlberg posted Utah's best first-run time of 52.18 to stand fifth at the halfway point.

Maisie Blyth finished 14th (1:48.95) and Maddie Kaiserman was 18th (1:49.68).

"It was a great day for our team," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "We couldn't be more proud of how the crew skied today. No one got ahead of themselves, and they stuck to their plans. Having all five women finish, with three in the top 10, shows that what they've been doing is working. Christina and Kaila are having fun, and Melanie keeps on rolling."

"Sindre has really stepped up and kept it simple," Johnson continued. "When he races within his own space, his speed is incredible. It was great to see Pierick manage his emotions with the lead after the first run. The determination from this group is starting to shine through, and we are excited for one more day!"

Next Up
The RMISA Championships/NCAA West Regional conclude Saturday at Bridger Bowl and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.

Saturday's Alpine competition begins at 9:30 a.m. with women's giant slalom first run, followed by men's giant slalom at 10:15 a.m. Second runs are slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. Nordic races at Soldier Hollow begin with the women's 20K freestyle mass start at 9 a.m. MT, followed by the men's 20K freestyle at 10:30 a.m.

Montana State University serves as host for the RMISA Championships. Nordic regionals were relocated from Montana to Utah because of snow conditions in Montana.

Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.