Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st
Final Score
Skiing
1st
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
Sunday, February 16
Fairbanks, Alaska / UAF Competition Ski Trails
1 p.m. MT
University of Utah
at
Classic Sprints
Photo by: UAF photo by Eric Engman
Lavén and Mayer Podium in UAF’s Classic Sprints
2/16/2025 8:10 PM | Skiing
Utah in second place at halfway point of two-day meet
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Erica Lavén and Celine Mayer each skied to the podium in first and third place, respectively, as the Utah Ski Team kicked off the Alaska Fairbanks Invitational with classic sprint races at the UAF Competition Ski Trails.
Utah is second in the team standings halfway through the meet, tallying 154 points which is 28 back from Denver (182). The host Nanooks are third (143). The day was sunny but cold, with temperatures ranging from zero to 5 degrees for much of the races.
"Erica had another stellar performance and won rather easily," said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "Celine came through with her best race of the year and skied strong all day. In the men's race, Zach had another strong day and Brian was close to making the final. Carl Rune had a little bit of bad luck crashing in his quarterfinal; otherwise he would have made the semifinals.
Landstedt added, "With only three men and three women at this meet, it is hard to compete with a team like Denver. But we are very proud of the group and looking forward to another good day tomorrow!"
Women's Race
Utah's 89 points gave the Utes the win in the women's race scoring, edging out Denver (87). Erica Lavén was on top throughout the day, taking first in the initial qualifier before finishing atop the field in each stage of the bracket. It was great to see Celine Mayer ski to the podium as well, with Mayer taking the bronze medal. Selma Nevin also contributed key points for the Utes with a top-20 finish on the day.
Lavén won the final over Montana State's Anna Pryce by more than four seconds. Mayer was fourth in qualifying, won her quarterfinal and placed second in the semifinal. She then edged out Eve-Ondine Duchaufour from Denver for the third-place spot.
Men's Race
Utah was led on the men's side by Zachary Jayne, who placed fifth in the final with a time of 2:46.81. Brian Bushey was eighth in the overall results after reaching the semifinals and Rune was 24th.
Jayne was fifth in the qualifier before winning both his quarterfinal and semifinal heats. Bushey placed second in his quarterfinal but just missed on making the finals.
Next Up | Full Schedule
The two-day and Nordic-only Alaska Fairbanks Invitational concludes on Monday with a 10K freestyle interval start race. Events are slated to begin at 1 p.m. MT on the UAF Competition Ski Trails.
Alpine is back on the hill Wednesday with giant slalom as part of the Alaska Anchorage Invitational. Nordic races took place for that meet in early January, with the Utes currently second in the team standings.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utes on social media @utahskiteam.
Official Mobile App of Utah Athletics – Utah 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today for access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos directly from your mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
Utah is second in the team standings halfway through the meet, tallying 154 points which is 28 back from Denver (182). The host Nanooks are third (143). The day was sunny but cold, with temperatures ranging from zero to 5 degrees for much of the races.
"Erica had another stellar performance and won rather easily," said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "Celine came through with her best race of the year and skied strong all day. In the men's race, Zach had another strong day and Brian was close to making the final. Carl Rune had a little bit of bad luck crashing in his quarterfinal; otherwise he would have made the semifinals.
Landstedt added, "With only three men and three women at this meet, it is hard to compete with a team like Denver. But we are very proud of the group and looking forward to another good day tomorrow!"
Women's Race
Utah's 89 points gave the Utes the win in the women's race scoring, edging out Denver (87). Erica Lavén was on top throughout the day, taking first in the initial qualifier before finishing atop the field in each stage of the bracket. It was great to see Celine Mayer ski to the podium as well, with Mayer taking the bronze medal. Selma Nevin also contributed key points for the Utes with a top-20 finish on the day.
Lavén won the final over Montana State's Anna Pryce by more than four seconds. Mayer was fourth in qualifying, won her quarterfinal and placed second in the semifinal. She then edged out Eve-Ondine Duchaufour from Denver for the third-place spot.
Men's Race
Utah was led on the men's side by Zachary Jayne, who placed fifth in the final with a time of 2:46.81. Brian Bushey was eighth in the overall results after reaching the semifinals and Rune was 24th.
Jayne was fifth in the qualifier before winning both his quarterfinal and semifinal heats. Bushey placed second in his quarterfinal but just missed on making the finals.
Next Up | Full Schedule
The two-day and Nordic-only Alaska Fairbanks Invitational concludes on Monday with a 10K freestyle interval start race. Events are slated to begin at 1 p.m. MT on the UAF Competition Ski Trails.
Alpine is back on the hill Wednesday with giant slalom as part of the Alaska Anchorage Invitational. Nordic races took place for that meet in early January, with the Utes currently second in the team standings.
Follow the Utah Ski Team
Follow the Utes on social media @utahskiteam.
Official Mobile App of Utah Athletics – Utah 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today for access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos directly from your mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
Players Mentioned
Nordic
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Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
/ Skiing
Nordic
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