Colorado Nordic Skiing Dominates at Denver Invitational with Double 1-2 Finishes
FRISCO, Colo. - If Saturday’s performance at the Frisco Nordic Center is any indication, Colorado isn’t just competing at the Denver Invitational - they’re controlling it. The Buffaloes kicked off the Nordic portion of the meet with a commanding sweep of both the men’s and women’s 10K classic races, going 1-2 in each and extending their overall team lead in emphatic fashion.
Let’s break it down.
Women Set the Tone Early
Colorado’s women wasted no time asserting themselves. Tilde Baangman and Astri Lunde went toe-to-toe for the top spot in the 10K classic, trading leads and pushing the pace in a two-skier duel that left the rest of the field in the rearview mirror.
In the end, Baangman edged out Lunde by just 2.3 seconds - a razor-thin margin in a race they won by over a minute. That’s not just a win; that’s a statement.
Behind them, Nina Schamberger rounded out the team scoring with a solid 10th-place finish, while Elena Grissom (12th), Selma Nevin (14th), and Sophie Spalding (19th) all cracked the top 20, giving Colorado impressive depth to go with their firepower up front.
Baangman’s win was her second of the season and her first classic victory as a Buff. She’s now finished in the top 10 in all 15 of her collegiate races - a remarkable level of consistency. Lunde, meanwhile, has quietly put together a strong season of her own, with three top-six finishes in as many starts, including back-to-back runner-up results in classic events.
Schamberger continues to be a rock in the lineup. Saturday marked her sixth straight top-16 finish this season, and she’s already logged five top-seven results and two podiums.
Grissom and Nevin are proving to be reliable depth pieces, with both skiers stacking top-20 finishes like clockwork. Nevin, in fact, has never finished outside the top 20 in her collegiate career - 20 for 20.
Men Mirror the Magic
The men’s side had only three skiers toe the line, but that was all they needed. Storm Pedersen and Johannes Flaaten broke away from the field early and never looked back.
The duo skied in lockstep for most of the race, building a cushion that proved just enough to hold off a late surge from Alaska Anchorage’s Corbin Carpenter. Pedersen took the win - his first collegiate victory - with Flaaten just two seconds behind in second.
Pedersen has been trending upward all season. After opening with finishes outside the top 10, he’s now rattled off four straight top-five results and has podiumed in both disciplines. For Flaaten, this was his best result of the season and his third career podium - all of which, interestingly, have come at the Denver Invitational.
Luka Riley rounded out the scoring with a 20th-place finish. It wasn’t flashy, but it was steady - and it marked his ninth straight top-20 result, dating back to last season.
Team Scoring: Buffs Build Their Lead
Colorado racked up 188 points on the day - 97 from the women, 91 from the men - giving them a 30-point edge over host Denver and a 47-point gap over third-place Alaska Anchorage in Saturday’s Nordic races. Add that to their alpine advantage from January, and the Buffs now lead the overall meet with 541 points, 67 ahead of Denver and 146.5 up on Utah.
That kind of cushion gives Colorado some breathing room heading into the final day of the Denver Invitational, but make no mistake - they’re not coasting. This team is locked in, and Saturday’s results only reinforced their status as the team to beat.
What’s Next
The Denver Invitational wraps up Sunday with the 7.5K freestyle interval start races. After that, the Nordic squads will shift focus to the CU Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational in Steamboat Springs, set for Feb. 13-14.
With momentum on their side and performances like these in the books, Colorado’s Nordic team looks primed for a strong finish - not just to this meet, but to the season as a whole.
Quick Hits: Women’s Nordic Notes
- Tilde Baangman: 2nd win of the season, 1st classic victory as a Buff. 15-for-15 in top-10 finishes at CU.
- Astri Lunde: Back-to-back 2nd-place classic finishes. Three starts this season, all top six.
- Nina Schamberger: 6-for-6 in top-16 finishes this season. Five top-seven results, two podiums.
- Elena Grissom: 12th for the second straight race. Six straight top-20s.
- Selma Nevin: 14th place, extending her streak to 20 career top-20 finishes.
- Sophie Spalding: 19th, marking her third straight top-20 to open the season.
Quick Hits: Men’s Nordic Notes
- Storm Pedersen: First collegiate win.
Four straight top-five finishes. Podiums in both classic and freestyle.
- Johannes Flaaten: Season-best 2nd place. Third career podium, all at the Denver Invitational.
- Luka Riley: 20th place. Nine straight top-20s, 20 in his career.
Team Standings Through Six Events
Colorado - 541
2.
Denver - 474
3.
Utah - 394.5
4.
Alaska Anchorage - 344
5.
Montana State - 334
6.
Nevada - 195.5
7.
Colorado Mountain - 163
8.
Westminster - 119
9.
Alaska Fairbanks - 112
Colorado brought the heat to Frisco, and with just two races left in the Denver Invitational, the Buffs are in the driver’s seat. If Saturday was any indication, they have no plans of slowing down.