Walhqvist Repeats Slalom Victory, Norbye Wins Women's Race

Thursday, January 18, 2024 • by Ron Knabenbauer, RMISA

PARK CITY, Utah—Colorado's Filip Wahlqvist won the men's slalom race for the second straight day and Utah's Kaja Norbye also earned a victory in the women's event on the first day of the Utah Invitational alpine races at Utah Olympic Park.

The RMISA teams competed in slalom for the second consecutive day after also racing in the discipline in the Westminster Invitational on Wednesday, and the results at the top of the leaderboard were similar.

Wahlqvist won in impressive fashion with a total time of 1:27.52, besting second-place Gianluca Boehm of Montana State by nearly two seconds (1:29.47). The CU freshman had the fastest first run at 44.04 and was sixth-quickest in the afternoon descent (43.48).

Westminster College's Jeremie Lagier rounded out the men's podium in third at 1:30.03 and beat out fourth-place Christian Soevik of Denver by just one, one-hundredths of a second (1:30.04). Boehm was fourth and Lagier was fifth in Wednesday's Westminster Invite slalom.

Norbye picked up her second podium in as many as days in the women's slalom, but this time was on the top step after a third-place result on Wednesday. Alaska Anchorage's Ainsley Proffit repeated as the runner-up and MSU's Kristiane Bekkestad joined the duo on the stage on Thursday in third. DU's Nora Brand, who won Wednesday's women's event, finished fourth.

For Norbye, she had the fastest morning run at 45.92 and held onto the lead in the afternoon to finish with a total time of 1:32.75. Proffit was 32-hundredths of a second behind at 1:33.07.

Host Utah extended its overall lead at its own meet and now has 533 points, 117 more than second-place Denver (416). DU jumped Colorado, which is now third with 397 points and ahead of fourth-place Montana State (370) and fifth-place Alaska Anchorage (361).

Alaska Fairbanks is sixth (275) and is followed by Westminster in seventh (140), Wyoming in eighth (112), Nevada in ninth (79) and Colorado Mountain College in 10th (55) heading into the final day of the meet.

Alpine continues the stretch of four races in four days this weekend with the first giant slalom events of the year. Friday's GS will wrap up the Westminster Invitational while Saturday's giant slalom will conclude the Utah Invitational.

TEAM STANDINGS (through 6-of-8 events): 1. Utah 533; 2. Denver 416; 3. Colorado 397; 4. Montana State 370; 5. Alaska Anchorage 361; 6. Alaska Fairbanks 275; 7. Westminster 140; 8. Wyoming 112; 9. Nevada, 79; 10. Colorado Mountain College 55.

WOMEN'S SLALOM TOP 10 (31 finishers): 1. Kaja Norbye, UU, 1:32.75; 2. Ainsley Proffit, UAA, 1:33.07; 3. Kristiane Bekkestad, MSU, 1:33:23; 4. Nora Brand, DU, 1:33.54; 5.Evelina Fredricsson, WMC, 1:33.59; 6. Justine Lamontagne, MSU, 1:34.34; 7. Michelle Kerven, UU, 1:35.28; 8. Sara Rask, DU, 1:35.53; 9. Hannah Saethereng, WMC, 1:35.55; 10. Mia Hunt, DU, 1:35.58.

MEN'S SLALOM TOP 10 (36 finishers): 1. Filip Wahlqvist, CU, 1:27.52; 2. Ginaluca Boehm, MSU, 1:29.47; 3. Jeremie Lagier, WMC, 1:30.03; 4. Christian Soevik, DU, 1:30.04; 5. Oliver Parazette, UU, 1:30.08; T6. Iver Naess, UN, 1:30.14; T6. Jan Ronner, UAA, 1:30.14; 8. Raphael Lessard, UU, 1:30.28; 9. Dawson Yates, MSU, 1:30.46; 10. Gustav Voello, UU, 1:30.50.