Story Links 2025 Utah Ski Team Schedule 2025 Utah Ski Team Roster The much-awaited 2025 season begins for the Utah Ski Team on Thursday, January 2, when the Nordic squad opens the Alaska Anchorage Invitational. Alpine action begins on Monday, January 6 with an RMISA qualifier race ahead of the Denver Invitational. Read below for […]
The much-awaited 2025 season begins for the Utah Ski Team on Thursday, January 2, when the Nordic squad opens the Alaska Anchorage Invitational. Alpine action begins on Monday, January 6 with an RMISA qualifier race ahead of the Denver Invitational. Read below for a preseason primer on the Nordic team, and check UtahUtes.com later this week to get caught up on all things alpine.
They were so close.
In the tightest-ever finish to an NCAA Ski Championships, Utah finished second in the team standings last year in Steamboat Springs, a mere two points behind Colorado. The Utes had four All-America results on the final day of racing and 13 throughout the meet, but ultimately came up just short in the team’s quest for its fifth straight national title.
It was a heartbreaker for sure, but Steamboat is in the rear-view mirror both on the Nordic and alpine sides. Now, the focus has turned to 2025 and the desire to be back atop the podium when NCAAs this year head to Dartmouth.
“We realize, for sure, that it is a lot more fun to win than to finish second,” said director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. “We are coming in as underdogs and want to get back on top again. That is a motivator, especially for everyone returning. I think (the returners) are really getting the message down to all of the new skiers, as well. It gives us big motivation for this year.”
On the Nordic side, Utah has welcomed a new head coach in Pierre Niess. After eight years leading the Plain Valley Nordic Team in Washington, Niess has moved from the club to NCAA coaching world—though collegiate skiing is very familiar to him. Niess raced at New Mexico from 2010-12 with Landstedt as head coach, earning All-America and All-RMISA honors in 2010.
Both coaches complimented the consistency the Utes showed in training and strength sessions throughout the Fall. The racing season for the Utes kicked off in mid-December with a series of SuperTour races in Cable, Wisconsin, with the RMISA regular season beginning in Alaska on January 2.
“There have been a few small mishaps, key word small; but we have a pretty strong crew right now,” Niess said. “We have been able to train regularly without any overwhelming issues. The core group has been there every day and training at a high level.”
Landstedt and Niess expect the men’s lineup to be led by the senior trio of Brian Bushey, Joe Davies and Walker Hall. The group has combined for 15 career RMISA podiums and five wins, with Bushey and Davies each posting All-America results at NCAAs last season. All three earned World Cup starts in Minneapolis last Winter as well, while Davies has been abroad on the World Cup this Fall.
“This should be the year for our men,” said Landstedt. “I think our three seniors should be some of the strongest in the country. Denver and Colorado have extremely fast men, too. So does Dartmouth. But I think our seniors have something to prove and are looking to have an incredible last year. You have U.S. Ski Team member Zachary Jayne and freshman Carl Rune from Sweden challenging them. Everyone is pushing each other to perform well to even make NCAA’s for us.”
Though Utah came up short as a team last year, individually Davies had a standout first season as a Ute. After spending his first two seasons at Alaska Fairbanks, he joined the team at Utah and finished in the top-10 in all of his eight college races in 2024. He had two wins, including the 7.5K freestyle at the RMISA Championships. This Fall, he has made four World Cup starts; three have netted a top-16 finish—an impressive feat considering Davies is juggling a full load of classes at the U.
Said Landstedt, “Joe is really motivated. He trains hard, really hard, like a top World Cup skier even though he is in college. Obviously, that is a challenge, for sure. It’s amazing for Joe to have the results he’s having now. In reality, he should not have these results for a couple more years. After he graduates, he can go full-time for skiing. It’s going to be really fun to see how good Joe can be.”
The men’s side also returns Jayne and Max Kluck as both look to continue making strides from 2024. With a larger group of returners—only Tom Mancini has moved on—Landstedt and Niess have just two freshmen on the men’s team in Carl Rune and Lucas Wilmot.
Rune comes to the Utes from Sweden, where he had three top-20 finishes at the 2024 Swedish National Championships and has raced both on the World Cup circuit and World Junior Championships. Wilmot, who grew up in Jackson, Wyoming, competed with his hometown Jackson Hole Ski Club before coming to the U.
“Carl skied at a very high level in Sweden,” Landstedt said. “It is always a little tough the very first year; college is just different and a little challenging being away from home at first. But I think he’s handling it really well. He definitely has the capacity to challenge for top-placing in college races. Lucas probably showed the greatest improvement of anyone this Fall. It will be super fun to see what he can do this year. He’ll be up there soon and can be very, very fast.”
There is a great mix of competition throughout the women’s team. The coaches project the group to be headlined by Nina Schamberger and Celine Mayer following the graduation of both Sydney Palmer-Leger and Karianne Dengerud. Freshman Erica Lavén has been impressive early on, picking up three wins during the SuperTour series in Wisconsin.
Niess complimented the athletes’ ability to push one another. “Between the returners and the freshmen there is a good dynamic on the women’s side,” he said. “Any given day, whether it is a SuperTour or a time trial, it would not be surprising to see any one skier ahead of the other. There is a good, competitive mix.”
Schamberger showed incredible growth as a freshman last year, earning four top-10 finishes out of her seven collegiate starts. Mayer is a past All-RMISA selection and has eight top-10 results as a Ute.
“Nina learned a lot throughout last year as a freshman,” Landstedt added. “She has come back really well and is training really hard. She is more mature and level in her racing this year. I think she can be consistently very high in every race. Celine Mayer is coming back and wants to ski well this year. She will challenge the other girls, especially in classic. Hopefully we see Witta Walcher as well as she is recovering from an injury.”
In addition to Lavén, the coaches are excited about the additions of Neve Gerard and Selma Nevin on the women’s side. Gerard was the junior champion in 10K freestyle during the 2024 U.S. Nationals at Soldier Hollow, while Nevin was a consistent top-10 finisher in Norwegian Cup races in her home country.
Utah officially begins the 2025 RMISA season on Thursday, January 2, with a 10K freestyle race in Kincaid Park at the Alaska Anchorage Invitational. The race will also double as part of the U.S. National Championships.
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