With the lofty goal of becoming back-to-back national champions, the DU ski team competed in several events for the NCAA Championship, located in Lake Placid, New York from March 11 to 14. The events featured both men and women skiers who participated in a variety of competitions over four days.
After the first day of competition, the team was positioned in fifth place. Moritz Madlener (Sulzburg, Germany) claimed second place in the men’s nordic 10K freestyle, while two fellow Pioneers finished 28th and 38th. Sylvia Nordskar (Baerum, Norway) was able to secure another second place spot in the women’s nordic 5K freestyle and was followed by 15th and 38th place finishes by other Pioneer skiers.

Not pleased with their positioning, the team attempted to climb the standings the next day, ultimately placing third overall. They trailed only the University of Utah and the University of Colorado Boulder, but would fall to fourth place after the third day of competition.

With only one day left to assert their dominance, the DU ski team performed miraculously with their backs against the wall and were able to finish second place in the NCAA Championships. The University of Colorado finished ahead of them, by a score of 505 to 478 points.

DU featured the women’s slalom champion, Monica Hubner (Munich, Germany). Krisitne Haugen (Lommedalen, Norway) would finish third in the same event, while Devin Delaney’s (North Conway, New Hampshire) times landed her at 19th overall.

The Pioneers found similar success in the men’s slalom. Trevor Philp (Calgary, Alberta), Espen Lysdahl (Asker, Norway) and Sebastian Brigovic (Rijeka, Croatia) finished the day in second, third, and fourth place respectively. It was a valiant effort from the DU squad, but a 23rd NCAA Skiing Championship will have to wait until next year.