Utah is in second place after the opening day of the NCAA ski championships thanks to a big performance by Johs Braathen Herland.
Braathen Herland claimed first in the men’s giant slalom with runs of 57.54 seconds and 57.87 seconds, edging out Colorado’s Feb Allasina, who had runs of 58.37 seconds and 57.45 seconds.
Two other Utes — Sindre Myklebust and Pierick Charest — finished in the top 15. Utah totaled 83 points to finish first in the event, which was held at Utah Olympic Park in Park City.
Utah didn’t fare as well in the women’s giant slalom, finishing in fourth place with 50 points. Melanie Dahlberg led the way for the Utes with runs of 1:04.32 and 1:01.80 to place fifth, while Kaila Lafreniere had runs of 1:05.66 and 1:01.19 to place 10th. No other Ute finished.
With 133 total points, Utah is narrowly behind Colorado (137) as the competition shifts to Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway for the 7.5K classic on Thursday.