Upcoming Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on March 12, 2026 at 9 a.m.
9 a.m.
Skiing
vs 7.5K Classic (I)
The University of Utah Athletics
Wednesday, March 11
Park City, Utah / Utah Olympic Park
8:45 a.m.
University of Utah
vs
Giant Slalom
Johs Braathen Herland (right) celebrates with Sindre Myklebust after Herland won the NCAA men's giant slalom individual championship.
Photo by: Evan Sosnowski/Utah Athletics
Herland Repeats as Men’s GS National Champion
3/11/2026 6:12 PM | Skiing
Utah posts four All-American results on day one of NCAA Skiing Championships
PARK CITY, Utah – Johs Braathen Herland repeated as the NCAA individual champion in men's giant slalom as the Utah Ski Team began the 2026 National Collegiate Skiing Championships on Wednesday with races at the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center at the Utah Olympic Park.
Utah tallied 83 points in the men's GS to take the race victory in that event and sits second in the overall team standings after day one of competition. The Utes have 133 points and trail Colorado (137) by four points.
Herland's back-to-back titles in men's GS also mark the third straight individual title in the discipline for a Utah athlete as Mikkel Solbakken was the 2024 champion. Herland won the 90th individual championship for Utah all-time and ninth in men's GS. He is the first Utah athlete to repeat in men's GS since Ben Thornhill did it in 2003-04.
Prior to Utah, no school had won three straight men's GS individual championships since a span of three different Colorado athletes from 1991-93.
Melanie Dahlberg led Utah in the women's race with a fifth-place performance to join Herland with first-team All-American laurels. Sindre Myklebust was sixth in the men's race and Kaila Lafreniere took 10th on the women's side, earning second-team All-American honors.
"The boys came out firing today and I think it was some of their better skiing that they've had on this hill," said Utah head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "Johs came out and skied so simple. Sindre on first run had some of the simplest and best movements I've seen. And Pierick was very patient. He had one mistake on first run, but he skied great today. Melanie had a plan and knew what she wanted to do on first run. I'm so proud of how she stuck with it. Kaila at the end of this year has been coming along. For her to get an All-American in the top-10 is pretty cool."
The Utes had four All-American performances today with Herland and Melanie Dahlberg picking up first-team honors. In addition, Sindre Myklebust (6th in men's) and Kaila Lafreniere (10th in women's) earned second-team laurels.
The four-day championship meet continues on Thursday with 7.5K classic interval start races. Action will go down at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah, with the men's race begins at 9 a.m. MT and the women following at 10:30 a.m. MT.
Women's Race
Making her NCAA Championships debut, Melanie Dahlberg led Utah in the women's giant slalom with a top-five result (2:06.12). Dahlberg had a top-two opening run as she ultimately secured 29 key points for Utah in the team standings.
Kaila Lafreniere put down a top-nine second run as she finished with a total time of 2:06.85 and finished 10th place overall for the day.
"I don't think (first run) was anything special," said Dahlberg. "I think I just did what I always do. Mary (Joyce) and JJ (Johnson) told us that we were just going to do what we always do. Nothing special. It's a big competition; but nothing special. I was really happy with how it turned out."
Dahlberg put down an opening run time of 1:04.32 as she trailed only Montana State's Justine Lamontagne at the flip. Utah's trio of Dahlberg, Lafreniere and Christina Jacobsen all sat in the top-20 after one run.
Lamontagne sealed the women's individual NCAA championship as the last skier down the hill on the second run, taking the title with a total time of 2:03.98—having a pad of more than six-tenths of a second.
Men's Race
Johs Braathen Herland won the first run and brought the home crowd to its feet as he came into the finish corral and secured his individual national title (1:55.41).
Sindre Myklebust took sixth place with a time of 1:56.26 and Pierick Charest made his first NCAA Championships start with a 15th-place result. Herland and Myklebust were both in the top-three after the day's opening run.
Herland said, "I showed up with the same mentality both runs—trying to ski as fast as possible. I've kind of struggled a little bit setting fast first runs in GS. But I finally put down a fast first run and I knew I just had to go for it on the second run too."
Next Up
Utah and the rest of the championship field will continue races on Thursday with 7.5K classic interval start events at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah. The men's race begins at 9 a.m. MT with the women following at 10:30 a.m. MT.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
Utah tallied 83 points in the men's GS to take the race victory in that event and sits second in the overall team standings after day one of competition. The Utes have 133 points and trail Colorado (137) by four points.
Herland's back-to-back titles in men's GS also mark the third straight individual title in the discipline for a Utah athlete as Mikkel Solbakken was the 2024 champion. Herland won the 90th individual championship for Utah all-time and ninth in men's GS. He is the first Utah athlete to repeat in men's GS since Ben Thornhill did it in 2003-04.
Prior to Utah, no school had won three straight men's GS individual championships since a span of three different Colorado athletes from 1991-93.
Melanie Dahlberg led Utah in the women's race with a fifth-place performance to join Herland with first-team All-American laurels. Sindre Myklebust was sixth in the men's race and Kaila Lafreniere took 10th on the women's side, earning second-team All-American honors.
"The boys came out firing today and I think it was some of their better skiing that they've had on this hill," said Utah head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "Johs came out and skied so simple. Sindre on first run had some of the simplest and best movements I've seen. And Pierick was very patient. He had one mistake on first run, but he skied great today. Melanie had a plan and knew what she wanted to do on first run. I'm so proud of how she stuck with it. Kaila at the end of this year has been coming along. For her to get an All-American in the top-10 is pretty cool."
The Utes had four All-American performances today with Herland and Melanie Dahlberg picking up first-team honors. In addition, Sindre Myklebust (6th in men's) and Kaila Lafreniere (10th in women's) earned second-team laurels.
The four-day championship meet continues on Thursday with 7.5K classic interval start races. Action will go down at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah, with the men's race begins at 9 a.m. MT and the women following at 10:30 a.m. MT.
Women's Race
Making her NCAA Championships debut, Melanie Dahlberg led Utah in the women's giant slalom with a top-five result (2:06.12). Dahlberg had a top-two opening run as she ultimately secured 29 key points for Utah in the team standings.
Kaila Lafreniere put down a top-nine second run as she finished with a total time of 2:06.85 and finished 10th place overall for the day.
"I don't think (first run) was anything special," said Dahlberg. "I think I just did what I always do. Mary (Joyce) and JJ (Johnson) told us that we were just going to do what we always do. Nothing special. It's a big competition; but nothing special. I was really happy with how it turned out."
Dahlberg put down an opening run time of 1:04.32 as she trailed only Montana State's Justine Lamontagne at the flip. Utah's trio of Dahlberg, Lafreniere and Christina Jacobsen all sat in the top-20 after one run.
Lamontagne sealed the women's individual NCAA championship as the last skier down the hill on the second run, taking the title with a total time of 2:03.98—having a pad of more than six-tenths of a second.
Men's Race
Johs Braathen Herland won the first run and brought the home crowd to its feet as he came into the finish corral and secured his individual national title (1:55.41).
Sindre Myklebust took sixth place with a time of 1:56.26 and Pierick Charest made his first NCAA Championships start with a 15th-place result. Herland and Myklebust were both in the top-three after the day's opening run.
Herland said, "I showed up with the same mentality both runs—trying to ski as fast as possible. I've kind of struggled a little bit setting fast first runs in GS. But I finally put down a fast first run and I knew I just had to go for it on the second run too."
Next Up
Utah and the rest of the championship field will continue races on Thursday with 7.5K classic interval start events at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah. The men's race begins at 9 a.m. MT with the women following at 10:30 a.m. MT.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
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