The St. Olaf women’s Nordic ski team claimed first place at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho, March 2 through March 9. The men’s Nordic team finished second. In alpine competition, the St. Olaf women skied to a program-best, third-place finish. The men’s alpine team took third in the giant slalom, but fell to 16th in the slalom to finish 10th overall.
Oles claimed individual titles in all three women’s Nordic events. Paige Schember ’14 won both the 15K freestyle and the 1.5K sprint. Meanwhile, Emma Lee ’13 finished first in the 8.5K classic with a time of 30:24.
Besides Schember, three other Oles finished in the top 13 in the 1.5K sprint: Elise Sulser ’16, Lee and Gretchen Mueller ’14 took fifth, 12th and 13th places respectively. In the 15K freestyle, Lee and Mueller claimed second and third.
In men’s Nordic competition, Joel Bransky ’14 won the 15K freestyle with a time of 42:41. Cole Hendrickson ’14 was fourth 42:48, while Nels Thompson ’15 took sixth 42:52.
As a team, the St. Olaf Nordic men took first in the 15k and third in the 1.5K sprint and 8.5K classic. The University of Wyoming club team bested the Oles for the overall title.
Alpine competition occurred during the same week. The St. Olaf women took third in the slalom and giant slalom, helping them claim third overall. Katie Ulvestad ’14 finished fourth in the slalom and 15th in the giant slalom, earning All-American honors. McKenna McNabb ’15 was also named an All-American after her 17th place finish in the slalom and 14th in the giant slalom.
The St. Olaf men’s 10th place finish was disappointing after claiming second in 2012. Hakon Schonheyder ’15 led the Oles, finishing fifth in the giant slalom.
The men’s and women’s alpine teams will compete at the Lutsen Mid-America FIS Finals March 14 through March 17 in Lutsen, Minn.
