Ski Buffs In Second Place At NCAA Championships

Thursday, March 12

Midway, Utah

9 AM Men / 10:30 AM Women

Colorado

7.5K Classic (I) at Soldier Hollow

Photo by: Ashton Scott

March 12, 2026 | Skiing

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Strong Nordic Day Keeps Buffs In Contention For Title

By: Curtis Snyder, Associate AD/Athletic Communications

MIDWAY, Utah – The Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team remained squarely in the hunt for the national title after the second day of the 2026 NCAA Ski Championships, battling host Utah through a pair of Nordic classic races Thursday at Soldier Hollow.

Colorado finished second in both races and sits in second place overall with 288 points, just 11.5 behind Utah (299.5) at the halfway mark of the championships. The Buffs hold a commanding 79.5-point lead over third-place Denver (208.5). Colorado scored 76 points in the men's race and 75 in the women's race, trailing only Utah in both events.

Five Buffaloes earned All-America honors on the day. Storm Pedersen and Tilde Baangman both finished fourth to earn first-team All-America recognition, while Jakob Moch, Johannes Flaaten, and Astri Lunde secured second-team honors. The Buffs are tied with Utah for the most All-Americans through two days with nine each.

One of the day's key performances came from Selma Nevin, who stepped in as a late replacement for the ill Nina Schamberger. Starting 32nd in the women's race, Nevin surged through the deteriorating course conditions to finish 14th, earning valuable team points and keeping Colorado firmly in the championship race.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The men opened the day with a strong showing led by Pedersen, who started in bib 2 and immediately set the tone by posting the fastest first 2.5K lap in the field. He maintained a top-three pace through the second lap before slipping a few seconds on the final circuit to finish fourth overall, earning first-team All-America honors.

Flaaten started next for Colorado in bib 12 and delivered a steady performance throughout the race. He sat ninth after the opening lap, moved up to seventh on the second lap, and ultimately finished ninth to secure second-team All-America recognition.

Moch, starting 16th, quickly moved through the field with the seventh-fastest opening lap and eighth-fastest second lap to sit eighth at the 5K mark. He maintained his position on the final lap to finish eighth overall, giving the Buffs three All-Americans in the race.

On the women's side, the course conditions deteriorated significantly throughout the competition. Leaders averaged roughly 7:30 on the opening lap, but times slowed to around 8:45 on lap two and approached nine minutes on the final lap as the snow worsened.

Baangman held a strong pace throughout the race, sitting fourth after the opening lap and maintaining that position at the 5K mark. She closed with the fourth-fastest final lap to finish fourth overall and earn first-team All-America honors.

Lunde delivered a consistent race as well, posting the eighth-fastest time on each of the first two laps to sit eighth midway through the race. She surged late with the sixth-fastest final lap, moving up two spots to finish sixth overall and earn second-team honors.

Nevin's performance proved critical for the Buffs. Starting 32nd, she skied the 13th-fastest opening lap and maintained that pace through the second lap to climb to 14th at the 5K mark. She held that position to the finish despite worsening conditions. Only two skiers starting 30th or lower finished in the top 15.

UP NEXT

The action turns back to alpine Friday with the slalom races at Utah Olympic Park.

The 2026 NCAA Ski Championships will conclude Saturday with the 20K freestyle races at Soldier Hollow.

TEAM NOTES

Colorado sits second overall with 288 points, trailing Utah (299.5) and ahead of Denver (208.5).
The Buffs scored 76 points in the men's race, second to Utah's 78.5, and 75 points in the women's race, also second to the Utes' 88.
On the day, Colorado totaled 151 points, second only to Utah's 166.5, and the two teams now sit atop the Nordic standings after the first day of Nordic competition.
At the championship midpoint, Colorado leads all teams in women's points with 146, ahead of Utah's 138, and sits second in men's points with 141, trailing Utah's 161.5.
Utah has won three of the four races at the championships, but Colorado has finished second in all four events.

ALL-AMERICA NOTES

Five Buffaloes earned All-America honors Thursday.
Baangman and Pedersen were first-team selections, while Lunde, Moch, and Flaaten earned second-team honors.
Colorado and Utah are tied for the most All-Americans through two days with nine each, including four alpine and five Nordic selections per team.
Colorado holds a 5–4 edge in men's All-Americans, while Utah leads 5–4 among women. Utah also holds a 5–4 advantage in first-team honors, while Colorado leads 5–4 in second-team selections.
The Buffs now have 583 All-America honors in program history, including 333 first-team selections.
Colorado has 328 men's honors and 255 women's honors, with the men owning 187 first-team selections and the women 150.
Overall, 221 different Buffaloes have earned All-America recognition. Pedersen and Moch both earned the honor in their first NCAA race, while Baangman picked up her second career first-team selection, also earning first-team honors in freestyle at last year's NCAA Championships.

MEN'S NORDIC NOTES

Pedersen finished fourth, earning first-team All-America honors. He has now finished in the top 20 in all 11 races this season and in the top five in eight of those events.
He closes the classic season with six top-five finishes, three podiums and one win in seven races.
Moch finished eighth, racing in just his sixth collegiate race of the season after competing in the Olympics and on the World Cup. He now has five top-10 finishes in those six races.
Flaaten placed ninth, marking his eighth top-10 finish in nine races this season. He now owns 23 career top-10 finishes, including 12 in classic races.

WOMEN'S NORDIC NOTES

Baangman finished fourth, extending her streak to 11 straight top-four finishes this season and 12 consecutive dating back to last year's NCAA Championships.
She now has four wins, one second, three thirds and three fourths this season. In her career, she owns 32 top-five finishes, including 19 in two seasons at Colorado.
Lunde finished sixth, remaining in the top eight in all nine races this season and top six in seven of those. She now has 18 top-10 finishes in 19 completed career races.
Nevin placed 14th, matching her finish at the NCAA Championships last season while competing for Utah in the same race. She has finished in the top 15 in 11 of 12 races this season and in the top 20 in all 26 career races.

TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Utah 299.5; 2. Colorado 288; 3. Denver 208.5; 4. Montana State 178.5; 5. Middlebury 153; 6. Dartmouth 152; 7. Alaska Anchorage 129; 8. Vermont 109; 9. Alaska Fairbanks 93.5; 10. New Hampshire 75; 11. Colby 53; 12. Nevada 51; Northern Michigan 51; 14. Westminster 44; 15. Michigan Tech 36.5; 16. St. Lawrence 17.5; 17. St. Michael's 12; 18. Boston College 11; 19. Harvard 10; 20. Williams 8; 21. St. Scholastica 2; 22. Bowdoin 1.

MEN'S 7.5K CLASSIC: 1. John Hagenbuch, Dartmouth, 18:25.3; 2. Mons Melbye, Utah, 18:31.0; 3. Erling Bjoernstad, Alaska Anchorage, 18:48.3; 4. Storm Pedersen, Colorado, 18:50.3; 5. Corbin Carpenter, Alaska Anchorage, 18:54.5; 6. Zachary Jayne, Utah, 18:57.9; 7. Eemil Juntunen, Denver, 19:05.6; 8. Jakob Moch, Colorado, 19:10.0; 9. Johannes Flaaten, Colorado, 19:10.4; 10. Luke Fricker, Northern Michigan, 19:12.6.

WOMEN'S 7.5K CLASSIC: 1. Rosie Fordham, Alaska Fairbanks, 24:08.0; 2. Erica Laven, Utah, 25:11.0; 3. Synne Bollingmo, Denver, 25:27.7; 4. Tilde Baangman, Colorado, 25:32.1; 5. Witta Walcher, Utah, 25:56.1; 6. Astri Lunde, Colorado, 26:14.6; 7. Marit Flora, Alaska Anchorage, 26:15.0; 8. Ava Thurston, Dartmouth, 26:35.5; 9. Sofia Pedersen, Utah, 26:50.7; 10. Shea Brams, Middlebury, 26:52.4.
Other Colorado: 14. Selma Nevin, 27:34.0.