Bobcat Nordic Squad Opens Preseason with Ute Dual
12/16/2022 1:49:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing
The Montana State Nordic ski team faced four-time defending national champion Utah in dual meet action before the start of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association circuit begins in earnest with the MSU Invitational, Jan. 13 at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center.
The Montana State Nordic ski team faced four-time defending national champion Utah in dual meet action before the start of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association circuit begins in earnest with the MSU Invitational, Jan. 13 at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center.
Utah captured the dual with recording 435 points while Montana State notched 357.
Skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, in conjunction with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard SuperTour, which includes the highest level of competition in North America as participants prepare for international races, the Bobcat men went 4, 5 and 6 in classic behind the efforts of Kai Meyers, Eli Hermanson and Florian Winker, respectively.
The MSU women were led by first-year Bobcat Tilde Bangman, who broke up Utah's podium sweep with a third-place finish. Kate Oldham and Sophia Mazzoni placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
After nearly two feet of snow overnight, the freestyle races featured soft conditions and limited visibility. In the 10-kilometer women's event Mazzoni finished runner-up, while Bangman and Oldham placed fifth and sixth.
"We picked a big challenge to kick off our season," said MSU Nordic head coach Adam St. Pierre. "We went toe-to-toe with the strongest team in the country in the first races of our pre-season. We only raced three men and five women for the weekend because other athletes had too much schoolwork for the trip to be wise. There is a lot of racing left this season, and I'm happy with our fitness right now.
"There is no place to hide on a racecourse," St. Pierre added. "Racing against the Utes within the SuperTour competitions gave us the opportunity to see how we stand against the top athletes in North America. While the Utes got the better of us in the scoring, the races were very close. This was the second competition of the year for the Utes- so they had bit of a head start on us. I'm confident our racing fitness will improve with more racing and training as the season progresses. We are looking forward to seeing the Utes and the rest of the RMISA schools in Houghton, Michigan in early January for the beginning of our NCAA qualification season."
Players Mentioned
