Upcoming Event: Skiing at 20K Freestyle (M) on February 13, 2026
Skiing
at 20K Freestyle (M)
The University of Utah Athletics
Sunday, February 8
Frisco, Colo. / Frisco Nordic Center
9 a.m.
University of Utah
at
7.5K Freestyle (I)
Sofia Pedersen claimed a bronze medal for the third podium of her freshman season.
Photo by: Adri Meyer
Three Top-Eight Results Close out Denver Invitational
2/8/2026 1:09 PM | Skiing
Pedersen records third podium of freshman season
FRISCO, Colo. – Sofia Pedersen claimed a bronze medal and Utah's women's lineup all placed in the top-eight as the Utes closed out the Denver Invitational with 7.5K freestyle interval start races on Sunday at Frisco Nordic Center.
Witta Walcher (sixth) and Ally Wheeler (eighth) added scoring on the women's side for the Utes, who were a little shorthanded this weekend with just five athletes available for the races in Frisco and four competing today. Max Kluck raced in the men's event and placed 11th with a time of 19:25.4.
"It was a great race by our women today," said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "I'm very proud of how they performed at the altitude of this course with no rest. Max also had a good race today."
Overall for the meet, Utah finished third in the team standings with 499.5 points. Colorado (714) came out on top with Denver (638) taking second place.
With a bronze medal Pedersen (21:51.1) extended her top-five streak to six straight races to begin her collegiate racing career. It was her third podium of the season. Walcher (22:29.1) matched her season-best with a sixth-place finish while Wheeler (22:34.6) had a top-10 result for the fourth time in six starts.
Utah was without Carl Rune in today's men's freestyle, but the squad hopes to be back to full strength heading into next weekend's races in Steamboat Springs as part of the Colorado Invitational.
Next Up
Utah will continue Nordic racing next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, with that portion of the Colorado Invitational. Races will go down at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and the slate includes a 20K freestyle mass start (Feb. 13) plus a 7.5K classic interval start (Feb. 14).
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.
Witta Walcher (sixth) and Ally Wheeler (eighth) added scoring on the women's side for the Utes, who were a little shorthanded this weekend with just five athletes available for the races in Frisco and four competing today. Max Kluck raced in the men's event and placed 11th with a time of 19:25.4.
"It was a great race by our women today," said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "I'm very proud of how they performed at the altitude of this course with no rest. Max also had a good race today."
Overall for the meet, Utah finished third in the team standings with 499.5 points. Colorado (714) came out on top with Denver (638) taking second place.
With a bronze medal Pedersen (21:51.1) extended her top-five streak to six straight races to begin her collegiate racing career. It was her third podium of the season. Walcher (22:29.1) matched her season-best with a sixth-place finish while Wheeler (22:34.6) had a top-10 result for the fourth time in six starts.
Utah was without Carl Rune in today's men's freestyle, but the squad hopes to be back to full strength heading into next weekend's races in Steamboat Springs as part of the Colorado Invitational.
Next Up
Utah will continue Nordic racing next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, with that portion of the Colorado Invitational. Races will go down at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and the slate includes a 20K freestyle mass start (Feb. 13) plus a 7.5K classic interval start (Feb. 14).
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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