Moch, Lunde and Schamberger Hit Podium As Buffs Extend Lead At Utah Invitational

Sunday, January 25

Midway, Utah

9:00 AM

Colorado

15K Classic (M) at Soldier Hollow

Moch, Lunde and Schamberger Hit Podium As Buffs Extend Lead At Utah Invitational

January 25, 2026 | Skiing

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By: Curtis Snyder, Associate AD/Athletic Communications

MIDWAY, Utah – The Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team closed out the Nordic portion of the Utah Invitational on Sunday by extending its overall meet lead following the 15K classic races at Soldier Hollow.

The Buffaloes earned three podium finishes on the day, led by runner-up performances from Jakob Moch and Astri Lunde, while Nina Schamberger added a third-place finish on the women's side. Colorado placed three skiers inside the top nine in the men's race and three inside the top 10 in the women's race, finishing the Nordic weekend with a 26-point lead in the team standings.

On the men's side, Moch finished second behind Utah's Mons Melbye, crossing the line just 7.7 seconds back of the winner. Storm Pedersen placed fifth and Johannes Flaaten ninth to round out the Buffs' scoring group, while Luka Riley and William Bentley added solid finishes in 16th and 17th, respectively.

The women were paced by Lunde's second-place finish and Schamberger's third, while Selma Nevin finished 10th as Colorado's third team scorer. Elena Grissom placed 12th and Sophie Spalding 18th, giving Colorado all 10 finishers inside the top 18. Tilde Baangman started the race aggressively and held the lead early before being forced to withdraw and record a DNF.

HOW IT HAPPENED

In the men's race, Colorado delivered the top team score of the day, totaling 88 points to finish 10 ahead of Alaska Anchorage (78) and 19 clear of Utah (69). Moch led the way with his third runner-up finish in his first four collegiate races, while Pedersen and Flaaten continued to provide scoring depth in the top 10.

Utah claimed the women's race behind a 1–4–5 finish to total 100 points, narrowly edging Colorado's 93-point effort, but the Buffs remained firmly in control of the overall standings. Lunde matched her career-best finish on the Soldier Hollow course with a second-place result, while Schamberger secured her second straight podium.

At the conclusion of the Nordic races, Colorado holds a 26-point lead in the meet standings as attention now turns to the alpine portion later this season.

UP NEXT

The alpine teams return to action at Lake Tahoe Mount Rose for four days of racing, Jan. 31–Feb. 3, including two RMISA qualifier races and two events as part of the Nevada Invitational for both the men and women.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Buffs are now in the lead of three concurrent meets, the DU and CU meets after alpine is done and now the Utah meet after Nordic action. Extending the lead without Baangman finishing shows the depth of the women's team and the men's team is showing great depth, as well. It's clear the Buffs are right in the mix and should be able to put together a strong squad for the NCAA Championships.

TEAM NOTES

Colorado scored 181 points on the day (88 men, 93 women), the highest total across the two races.
Utah finished second on the day with 169 points, followed by Denver with 131.
In all three meets that are halfway done this year, the Buffs have the lead in all three, taking alpine leads in the DU and CU meets and now a Nordic lead in the Utah meet.
The CU men won the race with 88 points, topping Alaska Anchorage by 10 (78) and Utah by 19 (69).
Utah won the women's race with 100 points, while Colorado scored 93, with both teams finishing well ahead of third-place Denver (67).
In the men's race, Moch scored 37 points, Pedersen 29 and Flaaten 22.
In the women's race, Lunde scored 37 points, Schamberger 34 and Nevin 22.

MEN'S NORDIC NOTES

Jakob Moch finished second to earn his third runner-up result in his first four collegiate races and is now securely qualified for the NCAA Championships, adding a classic podium ahead of departing for the Winter Olympics.
Storm Pedersen placed fifth for the third straight race and capped a strong Utah Invitational with a third-place finish in the freestyle and a fifth in the classic.
Johannes Flaaten finished ninth for his second top-10 result of the season and the 17th of his career, including eight in classic races. He now owns 26 top-20 finishes in 27 collegiate races.
Luka Riley finished 16th for his eighth straight top-20 result dating back to last season and his fifth straight top-20 finish this year. He now has 19 career top-20 finishes, including 10 in classic races.
William Bentley placed 17th for the second straight race and now owns three straight finishes of 17th or better, along with three top-20 results in his first four collegiate starts.

WOMEN'S NORDIC NOTES

Astri Lunde matched her career-best finish with a second-place result, also achieved on this course at the 2025 Utah Invitational. It marked her fourth career podium and third in classic racing.
Nina Schamberger earned her second straight podium by finishing third, marking her first two career podiums and her first in classic. She has now finished inside the top seven in all five races this season, including three top-five results, and owns five career top-five finishes.
Selma Nevin placed 10th for her second top-10 finish of the season and the 13th of her career in 19 races.
Elena Grissom finished 12th for her fifth straight top-20 result (all top 17) this season and has now placed inside the top 12 in four of five races.
Sophie Spalding placed 18th for her second straight top-20 finish to open the season and the seventh of her collegiate career.

TEAM SCORES (THRU NORDIC EVENTS): 1. Colorado, 369; 2. Utah, 343; 3. Montana State, 258; 4. Denver, 253; 5. Alaska Fairbanks, 215; 6. Alaska Anchorage, 206.

MEN'S 15K CLASSIC: 1. Mons Melbye, Utah, 36:27.6; 2. Jakob Moch, Colorado, 36:35.3; 3. Corbin Carpenter, Alaska Anchorage, 36:43.4; 4. Ben Dohlby, Alaska Fairbanks, 36:47.1; 5. Storm Pedersen, Colorado, 37:20.9; 6. Hermod Bangstad, Alaska Anchorage, 37:21.0; 7. Eemil Juntunen, Denver, 37:21.5; 8. Simon Chappaz, Montana State, 37:22.1; 9. Johannes Flaaten, Colorado, 37:22.5; 10. Grey Barbier, Montana State, 37:22.6. Other CU Skiers: 16. Luka Riley, 38:02.6; 17. William Bentley, 38:33.5.

WOMEN'S 15K CLASSIC: 1. Erica Laven, Utah, 42:00.0; 2. Astri Lunde, Colorado, 42:54.0; 3. Nina Schamberger, Colorado, 42:57.5; 4. Ally Wheeler, Utah, 43:39.6; 5. Sofia Pedersen, Utah, 43:58.8; 6. Katey Houser, Montana State, 44:06.2; 7. Witta Walcher, Utah, 44:16.4; 8. Maja Moland, Denver, 44:54.8; 9. Anna Stewart, Denver, 44:59.5; 10. Selma Nevin, Colorado, 45:06.3. Other CU Skiers: 12. Elena Grissom, 45:25.6; 18. Sophie Spalding, 46:35.7.