On March 7, senior alpine skier Sara Rask swept the NCAA Women’s Alpine skiing National Championships at Dartmouth Skiway, winning both the slalom and giant slalom events. Rask became the 19th Denver skier ever to sweep the national championships and just the sixth woman.
Rask won her first gold of the week on March 5 after entering her second race in second place overall. In her second run, she made up the 0.12-second gap she needed to win the event.
“I was actually very nervous for my second run. I really wanted to win and I knew it would take a perfect run,” said Rask. “I was just thinking, there’s no point in holding back now. No one remembers a coward.”
Rask also completed a season sweep of the slalom with the win at the national championship, going seven for seven in race wins this season.
“For every win you get, the easier it gets. But, there’s also a point to it if you know you can win, you start getting in your head. For me, I kind of forgot because I was so focused on the day,” Rask said.
Just two days after her slalom victory, Rask was racing again, this time for the giant slalom win. With the slalom being her main event, Rask was ready to leave it all on the snow for the giant slalom.
“It was kind of nice to have done the part where I put extra pressure on myself and then start fresh for the giant slalom. It was perfect,” said Rask.
Denver finished fourth as a team in Dartmouth, with Utah taking home the title. This was Utah’s fifth national championship in the last six competitions. The last time Denver won was in 2018.
“I know that as a team we can do better, and we’re going to do better, but I’m still very proud of my teammates,” Rask said.
While they did not find the podium as a team, Rask believes that even her individual success was a result of the team dynamic.
“It’s so important for your mental headspace to have people that bring you up and build your confidence. I really felt like I got that from my team that week,” said Rask.
Rask, while a senior, still has one more year of eligibility and is looking to get one more year of collegiate skiing.
“For the team next year, I want us to win,” Rask said. “We have so much potential that we can unlock if we find the right tools. I’m excited to start working for next year and finding things we can do better in the future to bring home that big one.”
The Crimson and Gold will look to do just that with their young team, as Rask is the only senior currently on the roster.
