Colorado University Athletics
Thursday, January 15
Aspen, Colo.
Women 10 AM / Men 10:45 AM
Colorado
vs
Giant Slalom at Aspen Highlands
Photo by: Matan Coll, CU Athletics
Accambray’s Win, Five Men In The Top 10 Keep Buffs In Lead At Own Invitational
January 15, 2026 | Skiing
CU’s Men Go 2-4-6-8-10, Hannah Soria Also Hits Top 10 In Women’s Race
ASPEN, Colo. – The Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team closed out the alpine portion of the Colorado Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational on Thursday by remaining in the lead with another strong day of giant slalom racing at Aspen Highlands Ski Resort.
The Buffaloes entered the day seven points ahead of Denver, briefly fell behind after the women's race, then surged back in front following a dominant men's performance. In the end, Colorado picked up two points on the Pioneers and leads the meet by nine points, 356–347.
On the women's side, Louison Accambray delivered another commanding performance, winning her second straight giant slalom race after posting the fastest time in both runs. Accambray won by 1.49 seconds, one of the largest margins of victory this season. Hannah Soria broke through with a 10th-place finish despite starting 31st, while Alexa Brownlie finished 11th and Cathinka Lunder placed 12th. Paige DeHart did not finish her second run.
The men responded with depth across the lineup, placing all five skiers inside the top 10. Filip Wahlqvist finished second after leading the field with the fastest first run, while Justin Bigatel placed fourth and Christoffer Oestroem sixth. Feb Allasina moved up into eighth and Stanley Buzek climbed into 10th to round out the Buffs' results.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Accambray set the tone early in the women's race, backing up the fastest first run with the fastest second run for the second straight day. Lunder sat second behind Accambray after the opening run but slipped to 12th in the final standings. Soria delivered one of the biggest moves of the race, climbing from a starting position of 31 into the top 10. Brownlie finished just outside the top 10 in 11th, while DeHart skied out on her second run.
Denver placed three skiers inside the top eight (2–3–8) and outscored Colorado 94–81 in the women's race, while Utah added 72 points. Denver briefly took a lead in the meet by six points, 267–261, through three events.
The men sealed the meet lead with a deep performance. Wahlqvist held on for second after his fast opening run, Bigatel finished fourth on the strength of the fourth-fastest first run, and Oestroem matched his first-run position to place sixth. Allasina moved from 10th after the first run up to eighth, while Buzek climbed from 13th to 10th with the third-fastest second run. Colorado finished 2–4–6–8–10 and won the race outright.
UP NEXT
After a week off, Nordic competition resumes Jan. 24–25 at the Utah Invitational at Soldier Hollow, featuring 7.5K freestyle races on Friday and 15K classic races on Saturday. The alpine teams next head to Lake Tahoe for four races at Mt. Rose, Jan. 31–Feb. 3, including two qualifier races and two events as part of the Nevada Invitational.
TEAM NOTES
WOMEN'S GIANT SLALOM: 1. Louison Accambray, Colorado, 2:00.47; 2. Sara Rask, Denver, 2:01.96; 3. Cecilia Pizzinato, Denver, 2:02.49; 4. Melanie Dahlberg, Utah, 2:02.80; 5. Erica Lynch, Nevada, 2:02.83; 5. Guro Hestad Vognild, Westminster, 2:02.83; 7. Lily Sewell, Montana State, 2:02.87; 8. Elisabeth Creighton, Denver, 2:03.12; 9. Maisie Blyth, Utah, 2:03.13; 10. Hannah Soria, Colorado, 2:03.16.
Other CU Finishers: 11. Alexa Brownlie, 2:03.23; 12. Cathinka Lunder, 2:03.40; Paige DeHart, DNF (Run 2).
MEN'S GIANT SLALOM: 1. Johs Herland, Utah, 1:57.99; 2. Filip Wahlqvist, Colorado, 1:58.30; 3. Adrian Hunshammer, Denver, 1:58.55; 4. Justin Bigatel, Colorado, 1:59.23; 5. Gianluca Boehm, Montana State, 1:59.76; 6. Christoffer Oestroem, Colorado, 1:59.83; 7. Christian Soevik, Denver, 1:59.86; 8. Feb Allasina, Colorado, 1:59.95; 9. Sindre Myklebust, Utah, 2:00.07; 10. Stanley Buzek, Colorado, 2:00.08.
The Buffaloes entered the day seven points ahead of Denver, briefly fell behind after the women's race, then surged back in front following a dominant men's performance. In the end, Colorado picked up two points on the Pioneers and leads the meet by nine points, 356–347.
On the women's side, Louison Accambray delivered another commanding performance, winning her second straight giant slalom race after posting the fastest time in both runs. Accambray won by 1.49 seconds, one of the largest margins of victory this season. Hannah Soria broke through with a 10th-place finish despite starting 31st, while Alexa Brownlie finished 11th and Cathinka Lunder placed 12th. Paige DeHart did not finish her second run.
The men responded with depth across the lineup, placing all five skiers inside the top 10. Filip Wahlqvist finished second after leading the field with the fastest first run, while Justin Bigatel placed fourth and Christoffer Oestroem sixth. Feb Allasina moved up into eighth and Stanley Buzek climbed into 10th to round out the Buffs' results.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Accambray set the tone early in the women's race, backing up the fastest first run with the fastest second run for the second straight day. Lunder sat second behind Accambray after the opening run but slipped to 12th in the final standings. Soria delivered one of the biggest moves of the race, climbing from a starting position of 31 into the top 10. Brownlie finished just outside the top 10 in 11th, while DeHart skied out on her second run.
Denver placed three skiers inside the top eight (2–3–8) and outscored Colorado 94–81 in the women's race, while Utah added 72 points. Denver briefly took a lead in the meet by six points, 267–261, through three events.
The men sealed the meet lead with a deep performance. Wahlqvist held on for second after his fast opening run, Bigatel finished fourth on the strength of the fourth-fastest first run, and Oestroem matched his first-run position to place sixth. Allasina moved from 10th after the first run up to eighth, while Buzek climbed from 13th to 10th with the third-fastest second run. Colorado finished 2–4–6–8–10 and won the race outright.
UP NEXT
After a week off, Nordic competition resumes Jan. 24–25 at the Utah Invitational at Soldier Hollow, featuring 7.5K freestyle races on Friday and 15K classic races on Saturday. The alpine teams next head to Lake Tahoe for four races at Mt. Rose, Jan. 31–Feb. 3, including two qualifier races and two events as part of the Nevada Invitational.
TEAM NOTES
- Colorado leads the meet with 356 points, nine ahead of Denver (347) and 56 up on Utah (300). Montana State (218.5) and Nevada (207.5) round out the top five.
- The Buffs won the men's GS race with 95 points and finished second in the women's race with 81 points.
- Over the two GS races, Colorado totaled 176 points, edging Denver (174), with Utah third at 153.
- Colorado finished the CU meet with 197 points in the two men's races, 29 ahead of second-place Utah (168).
- The women scored 159 points in the CU meet, finishing second behind Denver (198).
- Louison Accambray won her second straight GS race, posting the fastest times in both runs on consecutive days. She has now finished on the podium in all four alpine races this season and earned her fifth career win, all in giant slalom. She moved into a tie for fifth in CU history for women's alpine wins and second for GS wins. Accambray has won five of nine GS starts and now owns five wins, nine podiums and 12 top-five finishes in 16 career finishes.
- Cathinka Lunder finished inside the top 20 for the fourth straight race, all top-17 results, after finishing all four races this season following four finishes in 11 races a year ago.
- Alexa Brownlie placed 11th and has finished her first four collegiate races inside the top 11, including three top-10 finishes.
- Hannah Soria climbed from bib No. 31 into the top 10 for her first CU top-10 finish and fifth of her collegiate career, including her third career top-10 in GS.
- Filip Wahlqvist earned his third straight podium after finishing second, following third-place finishes in Tuesday's slalom and Wednesday's GS. He now has 17 career podiums, including five in GS, and moved into a tie for 19th on CU's all-time podium list with John Skajem (1986–87) and Ove Erik Tronvoll (1998–99).
- Justin Bigatel finished fourth for his second top-five result of the season and fourth of his career.
- Feb Allasina placed eighth for the second straight day and has finished inside the top eight in all four collegiate races, including two top-five finishes and a podium.
- Stanley Buzek finished 10th for his first career GS top 10 and has placed inside the top 12 in all four collegiate races, including runner-up finishes in both slalom races.
- Christoffer Oestroem finished sixth after placing fifth a day earlier, marking his first two collegiate finishes.
WOMEN'S GIANT SLALOM: 1. Louison Accambray, Colorado, 2:00.47; 2. Sara Rask, Denver, 2:01.96; 3. Cecilia Pizzinato, Denver, 2:02.49; 4. Melanie Dahlberg, Utah, 2:02.80; 5. Erica Lynch, Nevada, 2:02.83; 5. Guro Hestad Vognild, Westminster, 2:02.83; 7. Lily Sewell, Montana State, 2:02.87; 8. Elisabeth Creighton, Denver, 2:03.12; 9. Maisie Blyth, Utah, 2:03.13; 10. Hannah Soria, Colorado, 2:03.16.
Other CU Finishers: 11. Alexa Brownlie, 2:03.23; 12. Cathinka Lunder, 2:03.40; Paige DeHart, DNF (Run 2).
MEN'S GIANT SLALOM: 1. Johs Herland, Utah, 1:57.99; 2. Filip Wahlqvist, Colorado, 1:58.30; 3. Adrian Hunshammer, Denver, 1:58.55; 4. Justin Bigatel, Colorado, 1:59.23; 5. Gianluca Boehm, Montana State, 1:59.76; 6. Christoffer Oestroem, Colorado, 1:59.83; 7. Christian Soevik, Denver, 1:59.86; 8. Feb Allasina, Colorado, 1:59.95; 9. Sindre Myklebust, Utah, 2:00.07; 10. Stanley Buzek, Colorado, 2:00.08.
Players Mentioned
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