Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
7.5K Freestyle (I) at Soldier Hollow
Nordic Ski Buffs Take Lead At Utah Invitational
January 24, 2026 | Skiing
Buffs Place All Six Scorers In Top 7 To Lead Host Utes By 14
MIDWAY, Utah – The Colorado Buffaloes ski team opened the Utah Invitational with a strong showing on both sides Saturday, taking the overall team lead after the interval start 7.5K freestyle races at Soldier Hollow.
The Buffaloes placed three skiers inside the top six on the women's side and went 2–3–7 in the men's race to total 188 points, edging host Utah (174) and opening a 14-point cushion through the first day of competition. Montana State sits third with 136 points.
Jakob Moch, a newly minted Olympian, led the CU men with a runner-up finish, crossing the line just 8.5 seconds behind Utah's Mons Melbye. Storm Pedersen followed in third for his first career podium, while Johannes Flaaten, racing for the first time this season, finished seventh. Luka Riley added a 13th-place finish and William Bentley placed 17th.
On the women's side, Nina Schamberger paced the Buffs with a third-place finish, followed closely by Tilde Baangman in fourth and Astri Lunde in sixth in her season debut. Selma Nevin finished 13th, Elena Grissom 17th and Sophie Spalding 20th, giving Colorado all 11 skiers inside the top 20 across the two races.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The women opened the day, and Baangman was the early pace-setter after starting 11th and crossing the line in 20:23.7. A few minutes later, Schamberger followed with a time of 20:20.4, briefly putting Colorado 1–2 at that stage of the race.
Utah answered behind starting positions 24 and 26, as Erica Laven edged teammate Sofia Pedersen by 5.2 seconds to claim the top two spots. Lunde battled with Montana State's Katey Houser and Denver's Eve Ondine Douchafour, who all started consecutively, and prevailed to finish sixth. Nevin and Grissom delivered solid efforts in the middle of the pack, while Spalding opened her season with a top-20 finish.
The men followed with a tightly packed race at the front. Melbye, the 10th skier on course, set the benchmark, giving the field a clear target. Moch, starting 20th, and Pedersen, starting 42nd, both had split data and closed aggressively, finishing second and third. Moch crossed just 8.5 seconds back of the leader, and he and Pedersen joined Melbye as the only three skiers to break the 18-minute mark.
The depth of the men's field was evident, as the next 17 finishers all came in under 19 minutes. Flaaten narrowly missed the top five, finishing just 0.7 seconds behind sixth and 11.3 seconds out of fifth. Riley and Bentley finished only 13 seconds apart, with three skiers separating them in the standings during the tightly contested middle of the race.
UP NEXT
Colorado remains at Soldier Hollow on Saturday for the 15K classic races to close out the Utah Invitational.
WHAT IT MEANS
It was a solid day for the Buffaloes as the team proved it can ski with, and top, the Utes, and on their home course, to boot. The Buffs and Utes have proven through the first eight races of the season, four for each gender in both alpine and Nordic, that they are the two teams to beat in the RMISA this season. This will likely be the only meet the Buffs are at full strength, as freshman phenom Jakob Moch will head directly from Utah to take part in the Winter Olympics for his home country of Germany, and he will miss at least the next two meets before returning for the post season. The depth on both teams is evident as all 11 Buffs picked up top 20s with each scoring Buff earning seventh place or better.
TEAM NOTES
- Colorado leads the Utah Invitational with 188 points, 14 ahead of Utah (174), as the two teams have opened a nearly 50-point gap on third-place Montana State (136).
- The women scored 92 points, finishing seven behind Utah (99) but well ahead of Montana State (69).
- The CU men won the race with 96 points, 21 clear of Utah (75), with Alaska Fairbanks close behind the Utes at 73.
- In the women's race, Schamberger scored 34 points, Baangman 31 and Lunde 27.
- In the men's race, Moch totaled 37 points, Pedersen 34 and Flaaten 25.
WOMEN'S NORDIC NOTES
- Nina Schamberger earned her first collegiate podium, placing third, and has now finished all four races this season inside the top seven, including two top-five finishes. She owns four career top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 11 of her 18 career finishes across her collegiate career.
- Tilde Baangman continued her outstanding start to the season with a fourth-place finish, giving her four top-four results to open the year, including three podiums and a race win. At Colorado, she has finished inside the top five in 12 of 16 starts, with nine podiums.
- Astri Lunde finished sixth in her season debut and now owns 10 top-10 finishes in 11 career races, including six-for-six top-10 results in freestyle races.
- Selma Nevin recorded her fourth top-20 finish in as many races this season, with three results of 13th or better. She has finished inside the top 20 in all 18 career races and has just two freestyle races outside the top 10.
- Elena Grissom opened her final season with four straight top-20 finishes, the second-longest such streak of her career, and now owns 22 career top-20 finishes, including 11 in freestyle.
- Sophie Spalding opened her season with a 20th-place finish, the sixth top-20 result of her career and her second in freestyle competition.
MEN'S NORDIC NOTES
- Jakob Moch placed second to earn his second podium in three collegiate starts, both coming in freestyle races, helping secure a strong freestyle seed toward NCAA qualification.
- Storm Pedersen earned his first collegiate podium and second top-five finish in his first four college races, now posting top-five finishes in both disciplines. He has finished inside the top 20 in all four starts, improving each time from 19th to 14th to fifth to third.
- Johannes Flaaten finished seventh in his season debut, marking his 16th career top-10 finish in 26 starts and his ninth top-10 result in freestyle races.
- Luka Riley finished 13th for his 18th career top-20 result and ninth in freestyle, remaining inside the top 20 in all four races this season.
- William Bentley recorded his second straight top-20 finish in collegiate racing and now owns one top-20 finish in each discipline.
TEAM SCORES: 1. Colorado, 188; 2. Utah, 174; 3. Montana State, 136; 4. Denver, 122; 5. Alaska Fairbanks, 118; 6. Alaska Anchorage, 91.
WOMEN'S 7.5K FREESTYLE: 1. Erica Laven, Utah, 20:08.2; 2. Sofia Pedersen, Utah, 20:13.4; 3. Nina Schamberger, Colorado, 20:20.4; 4. Tilde Baangman, Colorado, 20:23.7; 5. Katey Houser, Montana State, 20:24.1; 6. Astri Lunde, Colorado, 20:35.9; 7. Eve Ondine Douchafour, Denver, 20:53.6; 8. Maja Moland, Denver, 21:18.3; 9. Ally Wheeler, Utah, 21:35.9; 10. Felice Chappaz, Montana State, 21:37.3.
Other CU Skiers: 13. Selma Nevin, 21:49.5; 17. Elena Grissom, 22:22.3; 20. Sophie Spalding, 22:44.9.
MEN'S 7.5K FREESTYLE: 1. Mons Melbye, Utah, 17:17.8; 2. Jakob Moch, Colorado, 17:26.3; 3. Storm Pedersen, Colorado, 17:54.3; 4. Benjamin Dohlby, Alaska Fairbanks, 18:03.3; 5. Corbin Carpenter, Alaska Anchorage, 18:06.7; 6. Gavin Galyardt, Montana State, 18:17.3; 7. Johannes Flaaten, Colorado, 18:18.0; 8. Philipp Moosmayer, Alaska Fairbanks, 18:22.4; 9. Benjamin Barbier, Montana State, 18:27.5; 10. Yannick Zellweger, Denver, 18:30.9.
Other CU Skiers: 13. Luka Riley, 18:42.4; 17. William Bentley, 18:55.6.
Players Mentioned
