Utah Wins Westminster Invitational

The University of Utah Utes celebrate in Snowbird: Axe Tang/Utah Athletics

January 26th and 27th Snowbird hosted the first meet of the RMISA’s alpine season. The local Utah Utes came out strong and clinched three of four possible wins. The double-header slalom days were jammed packed and featured the returning World University Game competitors.

Utah and Denver Battle in the Women’s Slalom

In her first university race post knee surgery, Utah’s Madison Hoffman won the morning slalom. Hoffman was 10^th in the first run, before coming back to win the second run and climb to the top of the standings. She battled with University of Denver’s Sara Rask for first. However, Rask overcame and clinched the afternoon win. Notably, Hoffman took home silver in the afternoon race. Her teammate Michelle Kervén scored her first two colligate podiums with a pair of third-place finishes.

“It felt so good to be out there competing with my team again,” said Hoffman. “Being able to stand on the podium one year after my injury was really rewarding after a lot of rehab and patience. These past races make me super excited for the rest of the season.”  

Utah was shorthanded on the opening day with just four of eight ladies racing. Hoffman and Kervén’s results edged Denver by one point in the team standings prior to the men’s races.

“You have to get her to stop working sometimes she works so hard,” said Utes head coach Justin Johnson in Hoffmans return to the podium.

Ute Wilhelm Normannseth Wins Double Slaloms

Friday offered two men’s slaloms and used the same format as Thursday’s competitions with back-to-back races. Wilhelm Normannseth won both men’s slalom races and Oliver Parazette added a silver medal in the morning event to seal Utah’s team victory.

In the morning slalom, four Utes placed in the top-10, headlined by Normannseth’s (-1.53) victory. Parazette was behind him in second place. Parazette logged his silver medal just two days removed from competing in Austria at the FIS Alpine Junior World Championships. Colorado University’s sophomore Jacob Dilling rounded out the podium in third just 0.06 seconds ahead of Utah’s Jeremy Mathers; Dilling’s efforts earned CU’s first podium of the season.

Conditions were a little more challenging in the afternoon race, but nevertheless Normannseth triumphed again. He now owns four RMISA victories in his career, all in slalom.

“He connected with a thought on how he wanted to put power in the ski,” said Utah head coach Johnson on Normannseth’s skiing. “He’s such a good skier and so balanced.

Westminster snagged their first podium in the second race with senior Mikkel Solbakken in second but was nearly a second behind the winning Ute time. CU’s Filip Forejtek rounded out the podium in third.

The Westminster Invitational ended with 365 points for Utah, separating the squad by 63 points ahead of second-place Denver. Teams quickly pivot and head up to Bozeman for the Montana State (MSU) Invitational. The MSU Invitational is scheduled with two days of giant slalom Tuesday and Wednesday, January 31 and February 1, at Bridger Bowl.

Team standings and results from the Westminster Invitational Snowbird slaloms

Women’s Snowbird slalom results

Men’s Snowbird slalom results