Montana State University
MSU Invite - 5/10K Freestyle (10 am start)
Montana State Nordic Team Hosts Final MSU Invite Races
1/13/2017 11:30:00 AM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing
“The Utah Invitational coincided with the US National Championships which brought over 600 racers to Soldier Hollow- so the feel of the event was unlike a normal RMISA collegiate race and added new layers of difficulty for our skiers to overcome,” said MSU Nordic head coach Matthew Johnson. “Overall, we had some really outstanding performances, but I know many of our athletes are coming away from Utah feeling like they have more to give and something to prove.”
The Montana State Nordic team will host the final two events of the MSU Invitational this weekend at Bohart Ranch. The 5/10-kilometer freestyle races will be held Saturday, Jan. 14 beginning with the women's event at 10 a.m. The meet will conclude on Sunday with the 15/20K classic discipline beginning with the women at 9:30 a.m.
The Bobcats currently sit in fourth place in the team standings after the alpine races held last weekend at Big Sky Ski Resort. The Bobcat Nordic team competed at the Utah Invitational last week at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah.
Sophomore Karsten Hokanson (Salt Lake City, UT) paced the MSU men's Nordic squad with a pair of top 10 finishes, last weekend. Hokanson finished seventh in freestyle and 10th in the classic sprint. Martin Muan also recorded a top 10 showing, placing ninth overall in the classic sprint.
The MSU women's contingent was paced by All-American and 2016 national freestyle champion Anika Miller (McCall, ID), who finished ninth in classic sprint and 15th in freestyle.
"The Utah Invitational coincided with the US National Championships which brought over 600 racers to Soldier Hollow- so the feel of the event was unlike a normal RMISA collegiate race and added new layers of difficulty for our skiers to overcome," said MSU Nordic head coach Matthew Johnson. "Overall, we had some really outstanding performances, but I know many of our athletes are coming away from Utah feeling like they have more to give and something to prove."
After four alpine events, Colorado sits atop the team standing of the MSU Invite with 334 points, followed by Denver 308, Utah 286.5, MSU 270.5, Westminster 246, New Mexico 208, Alaska-Anchorage 163, and Colorado Mountain College 33. Alaska-Fairbanks and Wyoming only compete in Nordic.
"We are looking forward to skiing on our home course this weekend with perfect weather for Nordic ski racing," Johnson said. "Anika Miller is sitting out these races due to injuries sustained in a pretty severe crash last week in Utah, but the bulk of our team is made up of freshmen girls who have a really great energy surrounding them and are excited to be racing in front of a home crowd. I'm excited to see what they can do on the tough Bohart race course and more importantly, what they can do over the next four years as they develop together."
The Bobcat alpine team is finishing its races at the Utah Invitational this weekend at Snowbasin.
