Thursday Rundown: Bergström, Hyncicova Take NCAA Titles on Day 1 in Jackson

The men’s 10 k classic podium and award winners at 2017 NCAA Skiing Championships on Thursday at the Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, N.H., including Martin Bergström (Utah) in first, Dag Frode Trollebø (DU) in second, and Martin Mikkelsen (Utah) in third. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)

NCAA Skiing Championships (Jackson, N.H.): 5/10 k classic

The universities of Utah, Colorado and Denver occupied five of six of the podium spots between the men’s and women’s races on the first day of nordic racing at the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships on Thursday in Jackson, N.H. University of Utah freshman Martin Bergström won the men’s 10-kilometer classic individual start and Petra Hyncicova, a junior at the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU), took the title in the women’s 5 k classic.

Originally from Sweden, Bergström captured his first NCAA title in 25:33.1 minutes, 26.8 seconds ahead of Dag Frode Trollebø, a University of Denver (DU) junior from Norway, in second. Utah had two on the men’s podium with Martin Mikkelsen, a Norwegian freshman, in third (+52.6).

The women’s 5 k classic podium and award winners at 2017 NCAA Skiing Championships on Thursday at the Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, N.H., including Petra Hyncicova (CU) in first, Merete Myrseth (Utah) in second, and Alayna Sonnesyn (UVM) in third. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)

In the women’s 5 k, Hyncicova, of the Czech Republic, notched her first NCAA victory (after placing second last year) in 14:55.5, 18.7 seconds ahead of Utah freshman Merete Myrseth, of Norway, in second place. University of Vermont (UVM) freshman Alayna Sonnesyn placed third (+19.8) and was the top skier outside of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) on the first of two days of nordic racing at NCAA Championships.

In terms of All-Americans (top 10), CU have five on Thursday (Hyncicova 1st, Christina Rolandsen 4th, Petter Reistad 4th, Jesse Knori 8th, Mads Ek Strøm 8th) Utah had four (Bergström 1st, Myrseth 2nd, Mikkelsen 3rd, Guro Jordheim 5th), Denver three (Trollebø 2nd, Moritz Madlener 5th, Lars Hannah 10th), Northern Michigan University three (Vivian Hett 6th, Fredrik Schwencke 6th, Adam Martin 7th), UVM two (Sonnesyn 3rd, Ian Moore 9th), the University of New Mexico one (Krista Niiranen 7th), UNH one (Lizzie Gill 9th), and Dartmouth one (Lauren Jortberg 10th).

After Day 2 of the NCAA Championships (with the first day of alpine races taking place on Wednesday), Utah leads the team standings with 301.5 points, followed by Denver in second (265) and Colorado in third (240). Montana State dropped from first to fourth with 177 points and Dartmouth ranks fifth (170).

Results: Men | Women