Thursday, March 7
Steamboat Springs, Colo./Howelsen Hill Ski Area
All Day
Montana State University
vs
7.5K Freestyle
Tilde Baangman finished fourth in the 7.5km freestyle race earning First Team All-America honors at the 71st NCAA Skiing Championships.
Photo by: NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Nordic Push: Bobcats Move into Fifth Behind Strong Freestyle Performance
3/7/2024 2:46:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing
“Tilde went for it right from the start building up a sizable lead early and then holding on for a fourth finish only two seconds from the podium,” said MSU head Nordic coach Adam St. Pierre.
TEAM SCORING
MEN'S 7.5KM FREESTYLE RESULTS
WOMEN'S 7.5KM FREESTYLE RESULTS
Montana State racked up 105 points behind a strong effort from its Nordic contingent in the 7.5km freestyle to move into fifth place at the 71st NCAA Skiing Championships on Thursday afternoon at Howelsen Hill.
MSU's powerhouse punch of Tilde Baangman and Kate Oldham finished fourth and fifth, respectively, earning First Team All-America honors. It marks just the second time on the women's side that the Bobcats have put two racers in the top five at the NCAA meet. Anika Miller and Cambria McDermott were the first duo to post the accomplishment at the 2016 championships also in Steamboat Springs.
"Tilde went for it right from the start building up a sizable lead early and then holding on for a fourth finish only two seconds from the podium," said MSU head Nordic coach Adam St. Pierre. "I think this finish will fire her up for Saturday's classic race. She wants more.
"Kate Oldham skied incredibly well," St. Pierre added. "She was up part of the night with an upset stomach so the fact that she was even able to race is quite amazing. She started the race conservatively and was able to move up every lap to finish in fifth place."
Baangman, a sophomore from Oestersund, Sweden, covered the course in 22:32.9, while Oldham, a junior from Carbondale, Colo., clocked 22:50.0 in the interval start. Utah's Sydney Palmer-Leger won the 7.5km freestyle title in 22:08.2.
Junior Fredrik Nilsen paced the Bobcat men's team placing eighth and earning Second Team All-America recognition. The product of Oslo, Norway finished the course in 19:58.9. Florian Winker, 15th, 20:20.3, and Kai Meyers, 25th, 20:58.6, also contributed to MSU's point total.
Dartmouth's John Hagenbuch won the men's title in 19:09.2.
"Freddy skied his best race of the season beating some western skiers he hasn't beaten all year," St. Pierre stated. "It was a beautiful day in Steamboat Springs and assistant coach Lizzie Larkins did a great job coordinating our glide wax testing and put us on really fast skis."
The All-America honors for Baangman, Oldham, and Nilsen were MSU's first on the Nordic side since 2018 and the first under St. Pierre's watch in Bozeman.
As a unit, the Nordic squad pushed the Bobcats up the leaderboard into fifth place with 183 points, just one point behind Dartmouth 182. Four-time defending NCAA champion Utah registered 312.5 points, while Colorado 256.5, and Denver 251 round out the top three.
The NCAA Skiing Championships continue with slalom events on Friday night under the lights beginning at 6:45 p.m. at Howelsen Hill.
MEN'S 7.5KM FREESTYLE RESULTS
WOMEN'S 7.5KM FREESTYLE RESULTS
Montana State racked up 105 points behind a strong effort from its Nordic contingent in the 7.5km freestyle to move into fifth place at the 71st NCAA Skiing Championships on Thursday afternoon at Howelsen Hill.
MSU's powerhouse punch of Tilde Baangman and Kate Oldham finished fourth and fifth, respectively, earning First Team All-America honors. It marks just the second time on the women's side that the Bobcats have put two racers in the top five at the NCAA meet. Anika Miller and Cambria McDermott were the first duo to post the accomplishment at the 2016 championships also in Steamboat Springs.
"Tilde went for it right from the start building up a sizable lead early and then holding on for a fourth finish only two seconds from the podium," said MSU head Nordic coach Adam St. Pierre. "I think this finish will fire her up for Saturday's classic race. She wants more.
"Kate Oldham skied incredibly well," St. Pierre added. "She was up part of the night with an upset stomach so the fact that she was even able to race is quite amazing. She started the race conservatively and was able to move up every lap to finish in fifth place."
Baangman, a sophomore from Oestersund, Sweden, covered the course in 22:32.9, while Oldham, a junior from Carbondale, Colo., clocked 22:50.0 in the interval start. Utah's Sydney Palmer-Leger won the 7.5km freestyle title in 22:08.2.
Junior Fredrik Nilsen paced the Bobcat men's team placing eighth and earning Second Team All-America recognition. The product of Oslo, Norway finished the course in 19:58.9. Florian Winker, 15th, 20:20.3, and Kai Meyers, 25th, 20:58.6, also contributed to MSU's point total.
Dartmouth's John Hagenbuch won the men's title in 19:09.2.
"Freddy skied his best race of the season beating some western skiers he hasn't beaten all year," St. Pierre stated. "It was a beautiful day in Steamboat Springs and assistant coach Lizzie Larkins did a great job coordinating our glide wax testing and put us on really fast skis."
The All-America honors for Baangman, Oldham, and Nilsen were MSU's first on the Nordic side since 2018 and the first under St. Pierre's watch in Bozeman.
As a unit, the Nordic squad pushed the Bobcats up the leaderboard into fifth place with 183 points, just one point behind Dartmouth 182. Four-time defending NCAA champion Utah registered 312.5 points, while Colorado 256.5, and Denver 251 round out the top three.
The NCAA Skiing Championships continue with slalom events on Friday night under the lights beginning at 6:45 p.m. at Howelsen Hill.
Players Mentioned
Nordic
/ Men's Skiing
Nordic
/ Men's Skiing
Nordic
/ Women's Skiing
Nordic
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