BOULDER—In one of the strangest seasons in collegiate skiing history, the University of Utah persevered through it all to claim the 2021 RMISA Regular Season Championship, the league announced Wednesday after the conclusion of the regular season.
The regular-season champions are based on points accumulated through the four regular-season meets in 2021, the Denver Invitational, Colorado Invitational, RMISA Invitational at Utah and RMISA Invitational at Westminster & Soldier Hollow.
Utah racked up 2,837 points through four meets, for a blistering average of 709.3 points per meet. Utah also swept all four meet championships. In order of completion, the Utes won the Denver Invitational with 683 points, winning by a margin of 75 points over Colorado. Then in the Colorado Invitational, the Utes won by 79.5 points with a total of 708.5 points. The RMISA Invitational at Utah finished next with the Utes compiling 683.5 points and winning by 150.5 points over Montana State. Tuesday the RMISA Invitational at Westminster & Soldier Hollow wrapped up the Utes scoring 762 points and beating Colorado by a margin of 148.
The regular-season championship is the third straight for the Utes and seventh since 2006 when the league began to recognize a regular-season champion. Utah has also won five of the last six dating back to 2016 and surpassed Colorado for most regular-season championships as the two teams were tied.
The Utes' 2,837 points are the most in a regular season under the current scoring format, surpassing Denver's total of 2,608.5 in 2014, the first year of the current format. Utah scored 2,185 points in three meets last season, for an average of 728.3 per meet, and the Utes average this season of 709.3 is second to that mark.
Utah also compiled the most Nordic points, most men's and women's Nordic points, the most women's points and most men's points, while coming in second to Westminster for alpine, men's alpine, and women's alpine points. The Utes won the most women's and men's points for the second straight season and it's just the fifth time the same team has won both gender championships, and the third time Utah has accomplished the feat, also doing so in 2012 and 2020. Denver accomplished the feat in 2014 and Colorado in 2018.
Utah has now won six Nordic titles, second to Colorado's eight, five men's championships, second to Denver's six, six women's championships, second to Colorado's seven, seven men's Nordic championships, and six women's Nordic championships, both the most in the league.
Westminster won the alpine championship for the first time and become the fifth team to win an alpine championship along with Denver (nine), New Mexico (three), Utah (two), and Colorado (one). WMC is also the fifth team to win a men's alpine and women's alpine title.
The 2021 season continues Friday as the Nordic teams compete in the RMISA Championships and begin the postseason. Alpine teams completed the RMISA Championship meet last week and Westminster holds a lead after the alpine competition but doesn't field a Nordic team. Teams that field both Nordic and alpine are ranked second through sixth with Montana State (305) leading, followed by Colorado (297), Utah (286), Denver (228) and Alaska Anchorage (213).