DU skiing has won 22 National Championship titles. Illustration by Tony Borek

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The most successful team in NCAA history with 22 national championship titles, DU’s ski team is looking to add another crown to their resume this season.

Excelling at the University of Utah Invitational on Jan. 4-11, Denver walked away with the alpine first place title, securing a 320-point victory in Park City, Utah.

Although half of the women’s giant slalom (GS) team missed competing in their event due to food poisoning, the healthy Pioneers were able to grab the victory.

Sophomore Erik Read (Calgary, Alberta) finished first out of the competition in the men’s GS event, along with senior Kristine Haugen (Lommedalen, Norway) who also earned a first place GS title for Denver in the women’s event.

The women’s team also had freshman Tuva Norbye (Oslo, Norway) on the podium for GS, finishing in third for the first race of her collegiate career.

At Soldier Hollow Resort in Midway, Utah for the nordic events, the Pioneers skated their way into fifth place with a total of 259 points.

Junior Moritz Madlener (Sulzberg, Germany) placed third for the men’s 15 km event, which was the best finish for the Pioneers at their first nordic race of 2016.

After heading to Bozeman, Montana for the Montana State University Invitational on Jan. 9-18, Denver walked away with another first place finish in the alpine events, scoring a total of 344 points.

Read took home his second first place GS title of the season at Montana’s Big Sky Resort, dominating the competition for the second invitational in a row.

Read also earned the honor of Skier of the Week for his first place finishes. Norbye also received this distinction for her performance in Montana, where she placed eighth overall.

Sophomore Linn Eriksen (Oslo, Norway) claimed her first collegiate win in Montana in the 5K freestyle.

The Pioneers will travel to Steamboat Springs for the CU Spencer Nelson Memorial Invitational on Jan. 22-24.

Denver is currently ranked No. 2 by the NCAA, following the University of Colorado-Boulder.

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