The University of Denver ski team stayed atop the team standings after the nordic events in Sunday’s second round of the Alaska Invitational Western regional at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. But three teams had closed the gap on Denver in the first meet of the season.
The defending NCAA champion Pioneers lead after two of four rounds with 282 points. “Host” Alaska-Anchorage – the meet is in Utah to coincide with U.S. National competition in Alaska – is next with 272, followed by Utah (258) and Colorado (252). New Mexico rounds out the top five with 223 and Western State is eighth among 10 teams at 123. Denver led by 20 points after Saturday’s first round.
In the men’s 10-kilometer freestyle event, Alaska-Anchorage’s Kjetil Dammen won with a time of 26 minutes, 15.7 seconds. Denver’s John Stene finished second at 26:59.4. Alaska-Anchorage and Denver accounted for the five top finishers in the men’s event.
In the women’s 5K freestyle, Whitman College’s Laura Valaas won with a time of 15:50.5, edging Colorado’s Kristin Soenstegaard, who finished second at 15:50.9. Soenstegaard sat out Saturday’s nordic events because of illness.
The alpine portion of the meet will begin Wednesday in Park City, Utah.
