Alaska Anchorage Invitational Recap

Sara Rask. Photo: Bob Eastaugh

On February 21 and 23, Alyeska hosted the RMISA Alaska Anchorage Invitational. Once again the University of Utah produced a phenomenal performance from both their nordic and alpine teams and won the Invitational. With this victory, the Utes successfully won every division-scored collegiate invitational this season. However, Westminster College was fast on the alpine side, leaving the series as the alpine points leader.

DAY 1

The Alaska Anchorage Invitational opened with the GS on February 21. 

Alaska Anchorage Invitational Alpine GS Team Scores Ranked: 1. Westminster, 2. Denver, 3. Utah, 4. Montana State, 5. Alaska Anchorage, 6. Colorado Mountain, 7. Colorado, 8. Nevada

WOMEN

The University of Denver was the top performer in the women’s GS, scoring 92 points by placing two athletes on the podium. The next best team was Westminster, with 85 points, who had one athlete earn a podium on the first day. 

DU’s Sara Rask claimed her fourth RMISA GS victory of the season at this Invitational, adding to her lead in the RMISA individual GS standings.

Westminster’s Hannah Saethereng achieved her first podium of the RMISA season with a second place finish, +0.45 off of Rask. 

Joining her DU teammate on the podium was Nora Brand. This was Brand’s third consecutive podium in RMISA races after her pair of third place finishes in the Denver Invitational slalom races earlier in February. 

The third point scoring DU athlete was freshman Mia Hunt, who finished in 16th. 

Evelina Fredricsson and Lana Zbasnik were the second and third scoring Westminster Griffins.  

Alaska Anchorage Invitational Women’s GS Team Scores Ranked: 1. Denver, 2. Westminster, 3. Montana State, 4. Colorado, 5. Alaska Achorage, 6. Utah, 7. Nevada, 8. Colorado Mountain

MEN

Three schools were represented on the men’s GS podium: the University of Utah, Westminster College, and the University of Alaska Anchorage. Ultimately, the University of Utah earned the highest team score in the men’s GS. 

Utah’s Gustave Rosberg Voello won by a definitive margin, +0.49 seconds. In second and third place were Westminster’s Jeremie Lagier and host school University of Alaska Anchorage’s Leon Nikic, respectively. Second and third place were separated by only 0.01 seconds. 

The three scorers that led the University of Utah to the highest GS mens score were Gustave Voello (first), Raphael Lessard (seventh) and Bjoern Brudevoll (eighth). 

Prior to this victory, Voello had won one other Invitational this season – the Colorado Invitation GS at Eldora. 

This was Westminster freshman Jeremy Lagier’s first University race podium. Meanwhile, it was Leon Nikic’s first University podium of the season, but not a career first.

Alaska Anchorage Invitational Men’s GS Team Scores Ranked: 1. Utah, 2. Westminster, 3. Alaska Anchorage, 4. Denver, 5. Montana State, 6. Colorado Mountain, 7. Nevada, 8. Colorado

DAY 2

The Alaska Anchorage Invitational Slalom commenced on February 23. 

The two events of the Alaska Anchorage Invitational were separated by a day for the RMISA championship GS, which also took place in Alyeska. 

Alaska Anchorage Invitational Alpine SL Team Scores Ranked: 1. Utah, 2. Westminster, 3. Denver, 4. Montana State, 5. Colorado, 6. Alaska Anchorage, 7. Nevada, 8. Colorado Mountain 

WOMEN

Like the GS, DU had two women on the podium in first and third place. The same two women were on the podium. However, they swapped positions.

DU junior Nora Brand earned her first career University victory. Brand’s freshman teammate, Sara Rask joined her on the podium in third. 

In second place, sandwiched between the two DU athletes, was Westminster’s Evelina Fredricsson. Fredricsson has been on University slalom podiums in 2022, but this was her first of the 2023 season. 

Just like the slalom, the DU women came out on top in the rankings, followed by Westminster. However, the Utes had a stronger performance in the slalom than the GS. They were the third strongest women’s team in the slalom, as opposed to sixth in the GS. 

Alaska Anchorage Invitational Women’s SL Team Scores Ranked: 1. Denver, 2. Westminster, 3. Utah, 4. Montana State, 5. Colorado, 6. Alaska Anchorage, 7. Nevada, 8. Colorado Mountain

MEN

All three of the men who achieved podium results in the men’s slalom were Norwegian. They also are all college juniors. 

Willhelm Normannseth and his University of Utah teammate Bjoern Brudevoll earned first and second place, respectively. Brudevoll was +0.66 slower than Normannseth. CU Buff Louis Fausa finished in third, +0.77 off of Normannseth. 

Just off the podium in fourth place was Jeremy Mathers. Mathers is also a member of the Utah team. With three athletes in the top four, Utah was untouchable in the Alaska Anchorage Invitation men’s slalom standings.

All three of the athletes on this podium have been among the top three at a University Invitational in their careers. 

Alaska Anchorage Invitational Men’s SL Team Scores Ranked: 1. Utah, 2. Westminster, 3. Colorado, 4. Montana State, 5. Alaska Anchorage, 6. Nevada 7. Colorado & Colorado Mountain