Upcoming Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on February 28, 2026 at 9 a.m.
9 a.m.
Skiing
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
The University of Utah Athletics
Saturday, February 28
Bozeman, Mont. / Bridger Bowl
9:30 AM
University of Utah
at
Giant Slalom
Photo by: Jackson Bilawa/Utah Athletics
Utah Ski Team Wins RMISA Championship; Melbye Claims Gold in 20K Freestyle
2/28/2026 6:29 PM | Skiing
Strong performances Saturday help Utes hold off Colorado to claim second consecutive conference crown
MIDWAY, Utah / BOZEMAN, Mont. – Freshman Mons Melbye won gold in the men's 20K Freestyle race and led a parade of four podium finishers overall on Saturday to propel the Utah Ski Team to its second consecutive Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Championship and by extension the NCAA West Regional championship.
Utah claimed the crown with 669 total points, followed closely by Colorado with 651. The Buffaloes reduced a 58-point deficit to 18 on the final day. Denver (3rd, 560), Montana State (4th, 526) and Alaska Anchorage (5th, 348) rounded out the top five of the nine-team field.
"A very close Regional Championship and I am proud of how the team got together and fought for every point," said Director of Skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "Great to see our alpine team stepping up, and they keep getting better and better as a team. On the Nordic side the top skiers came through this weekend and had good backup from their teammates."
Melbye's win, in a time of 48:58.1, gives Utah two individual conference champions for the meet, following Erica Lavén's win in Friday's women's 7.5K Classic race. Zachary Jayne joined Melbye on the podium Saturday, placing third in 49:13.1, and Sofia Pedersen claimed a podium finish in the women's 20K Freestyle with a third-place time of 54:01.2.
Melanie Dahlberg earned bronze in the women's giant slalom with a time of 1:36.64 to lead a quintet of Utah skiers with top-10 performances across the men's and women's giant slalom races.
NORDIC – 20K Freestyle (Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah)
Utah claimed three podium finishes and four top-10 performances across the men's and women's races.
"We had a strong weekend at Soldier Hollow on home snow," said head Nordic coach Pierre Niess. "The team won the overall, and it was a good reflection of where we are right now — competitive at the front and solid throughout the roster."
In the men's competition, Melbye and Jayne were followed by Walker Hall in 11th place (49:45.1) and Lucas Wilmot in 13th (50:28.0), placing four finishers in the top 13. Melbye claimed his fourth win of the season and his fifth podium finish. Jayne claimed the bronze for the second day in a row, and continued his streak of eight podium finishes in eight starts for the season.
Pedersen was joined by Witta Walcher in the top 10, as Walcher placed seventh in 54:05.2. Pedersen's third-place finish was her fourth podium of the season and her ninth top-5 performance in 10 starts this year. Walcher logged her seventh top-10 finish in eight starts this season. Selma Andersen placed 19th in 59:03.9, and Erica Lavén did not finish.
"Today's 20K mass start skate was demanding and tactical," Niess added. "Mons delivered a decisive win. He skied patiently early, made the right moves, and once the race opened up he was clearly the strongest athlete in the field. Zach was again 3rd, which says a lot about his consistency and ability to execute in different formats. Sofia stepped up in the 20K, showing progression across the weekend. Across both days, the women were competitive and deep."
"Overall, it was a strong weekend: Dominant wins from Erica and Mons, consistency from Zach, a podium from Sofia, and solid depth across the team. We're in a good position as we move toward NCAAs."
Dahlberg's third-place finish was her fourth podium of the season and her seventh top-five performance. She was followed closely behind by Kaila Lafreniere, who put down her top finish of the season to share fourth place with a time of 1:36.75, just 11 one-hundredths of a second behind Dahlberg and a podium spot.
"We had a great end to our RMISA championships," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "It was a beautiful day in Bozeman, and seeing Melly on the podium with another great GS result is very exciting. Kaila has also been impressive, hitting her stride and getting her season-best results in the last three days."
Maisie Blyth was 14th in 1:38.21, Christina Jacobsen was 17th in 1:38.61 and Maddie Kaiserman was 20th in 1:38.86 to put all five Utah skiers in the top 20.
On the men's side, Herland's fourth-place finish matched his place from yesterday's slalom race. He was followed by Pierick Charest and Sindre Myklebust who tied for eighth place in 1:36.06. It was Charest's sixth top-10 finish of the season and Myklebust's eighth. Harry Hoffman was 29th in 1:38.52.
"Pierick needed a GS result, and he achieved that, finishing alongside Sindre in eighth place," Johnson added. "The boys fought hard despite challenging conditions due to the warmth. Johs skied well, securing another solid result in fourth place. We're excited to come home, get some rest, and see what we can do at home for the championships. This week was truly a full team effort!"
NEXT UP
The Utah Ski Team will have a week off from competition before hosting the NCAA Championship meet March 11-14. Alpine competition will take place at the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center in Park City, Utah, while Nordic races are set for Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah.
A full preview with information for fans who plan to attend the races will be issued in the coming days, and fans are encouraged to check utahutes.com for all of the updated information.
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
Utah claimed the crown with 669 total points, followed closely by Colorado with 651. The Buffaloes reduced a 58-point deficit to 18 on the final day. Denver (3rd, 560), Montana State (4th, 526) and Alaska Anchorage (5th, 348) rounded out the top five of the nine-team field.
"A very close Regional Championship and I am proud of how the team got together and fought for every point," said Director of Skiing Fredrik Landstedt. "Great to see our alpine team stepping up, and they keep getting better and better as a team. On the Nordic side the top skiers came through this weekend and had good backup from their teammates."
Melbye's win, in a time of 48:58.1, gives Utah two individual conference champions for the meet, following Erica Lavén's win in Friday's women's 7.5K Classic race. Zachary Jayne joined Melbye on the podium Saturday, placing third in 49:13.1, and Sofia Pedersen claimed a podium finish in the women's 20K Freestyle with a third-place time of 54:01.2.
Melanie Dahlberg earned bronze in the women's giant slalom with a time of 1:36.64 to lead a quintet of Utah skiers with top-10 performances across the men's and women's giant slalom races.
"We will now set our eyes on the NCAA Championships in a couple of weeks," Landstedt said. "It will definitely be very tough this year and I see Colorado as the favorite. No matter what it will probably be very close and every single result will make a difference. We will need our fans and supporters to cheer us on and give us some extra home-course advantage."?? RMISA Champ Mons Melbye ?? leads the men's Nordic crew on the home snow!
— Utah Ski Team (@utahskiteam) March 1, 2026
?? Scenes from SoHo… pic.twitter.com/pS8lq0wmu0
NORDIC – 20K Freestyle (Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah)
Utah claimed three podium finishes and four top-10 performances across the men's and women's races.
"We had a strong weekend at Soldier Hollow on home snow," said head Nordic coach Pierre Niess. "The team won the overall, and it was a good reflection of where we are right now — competitive at the front and solid throughout the roster."
In the men's competition, Melbye and Jayne were followed by Walker Hall in 11th place (49:45.1) and Lucas Wilmot in 13th (50:28.0), placing four finishers in the top 13. Melbye claimed his fourth win of the season and his fifth podium finish. Jayne claimed the bronze for the second day in a row, and continued his streak of eight podium finishes in eight starts for the season.
Pedersen was joined by Witta Walcher in the top 10, as Walcher placed seventh in 54:05.2. Pedersen's third-place finish was her fourth podium of the season and her ninth top-5 performance in 10 starts this year. Walcher logged her seventh top-10 finish in eight starts this season. Selma Andersen placed 19th in 59:03.9, and Erica Lavén did not finish.
"Today's 20K mass start skate was demanding and tactical," Niess added. "Mons delivered a decisive win. He skied patiently early, made the right moves, and once the race opened up he was clearly the strongest athlete in the field. Zach was again 3rd, which says a lot about his consistency and ability to execute in different formats. Sofia stepped up in the 20K, showing progression across the weekend. Across both days, the women were competitive and deep."
"Overall, it was a strong weekend: Dominant wins from Erica and Mons, consistency from Zach, a podium from Sofia, and solid depth across the team. We're in a good position as we move toward NCAAs."
ALPINE – Giant Slalom (Bridger Bowl in Bozeman, Mont.)?? Scenes from that home snow at SoHo.
— Utah Ski Team (@utahskiteam) March 1, 2026
?? Women's 20K Freestyle pic.twitter.com/4u7EWp5L0F
Dahlberg's third-place finish was her fourth podium of the season and her seventh top-five performance. She was followed closely behind by Kaila Lafreniere, who put down her top finish of the season to share fourth place with a time of 1:36.75, just 11 one-hundredths of a second behind Dahlberg and a podium spot.
"We had a great end to our RMISA championships," said head alpine coach JJ Johnson. "It was a beautiful day in Bozeman, and seeing Melly on the podium with another great GS result is very exciting. Kaila has also been impressive, hitting her stride and getting her season-best results in the last three days."
Maisie Blyth was 14th in 1:38.21, Christina Jacobsen was 17th in 1:38.61 and Maddie Kaiserman was 20th in 1:38.86 to put all five Utah skiers in the top 20.
On the men's side, Herland's fourth-place finish matched his place from yesterday's slalom race. He was followed by Pierick Charest and Sindre Myklebust who tied for eighth place in 1:36.06. It was Charest's sixth top-10 finish of the season and Myklebust's eighth. Harry Hoffman was 29th in 1:38.52.
"Pierick needed a GS result, and he achieved that, finishing alongside Sindre in eighth place," Johnson added. "The boys fought hard despite challenging conditions due to the warmth. Johs skied well, securing another solid result in fourth place. We're excited to come home, get some rest, and see what we can do at home for the championships. This week was truly a full team effort!"
NEXT UP
The Utah Ski Team will have a week off from competition before hosting the NCAA Championship meet March 11-14. Alpine competition will take place at the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center in Park City, Utah, while Nordic races are set for Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah.
A full preview with information for fans who plan to attend the races will be issued in the coming days, and fans are encouraged to check utahutes.com for all of the updated information.
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
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