When University of Utah senior Sydney Palmer-Leger arrived at the Steamboat Springs rodeo grounds Thursday, she took time strapping on different pairs of skis to test Howelsen’s Nordic course for the NCAA 7.5-kilometer individual freestyle cross country race. 

What Palmer-Leger found was that the course was firm and icy on the rodeo flat, but became softer and more challenging to manage when skiing into the hills of Emerald Mountain. 

Bringing that course knowledge with her, Palmer-Leger skied to her second career NCAA national championship title. She was joined by her childhood teammate from the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Dartmouth’s John Steel Hagenbuch, the men’s champion. 

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The two champions offered insight on the art of Nordic freestyle skiing. 

Pre-race

Thursday’s race had an interval start, meaning skiers were sent periodically onto the course as individuals. Some skiers began their races after others had already finished. 

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Both Palmer-Leger and Steel Hagenbuch began their chases in the back of the pack and waited in long lines with over 30 skiers ahead. The pair agreed the key is to breathe and stay relaxed while in line. It is easy to get over-anxious and impatient while waiting. 

Step up to the start line, take in one last deep breath and remind self of race strategy. Never let the excitement of the race burn out at the start. 

Race start

This is where strategies may differ. Palmer-Leger prefers to go out hard from the start and continue that pace through the rest of her race. Steel Hagenbuch prefers to reserve the majority of his speed and energy for the final five kilometers. 

“Today I was very consciously trying to go out pretty conservatively on the first lap and stay relaxed and build into the race from there,” Steel Hagenbuch said. “I was really happy with how I executed that plan and we had a really great ski.” 

Race finish

As the race continues, many skiers will begin to fizzle in speed. They like to feed off the energy of their teammates, coaches and family who cheer them around the course. 

Coaches will station themselves around the course to relay their skiers’ splits lap-to-lap and give them an idea of where they stand relative to the rest of the field. 

Steel Hagenbuch lucked-out as the second-place skier — Joe Davies of Utah began the race just 30 seconds ahead, so Steel Hagenbuch was able to judge his speed in relation to Davies. Steel Hagenbuch said he knew he was gaining on Davies with every corner, and that gave him motivation to keep pushing harder. 

“I knew I was in the lead after the first lap so I was trying to stay composed and keep building through the race,” Steel Hagenbuch said. “On the third lap, your legs are like jelly at the top of the last climb, so on the downhill I was mostly focusing on not falling because your legs are pretty numb.” 

Knowing her strengths, Palmer-Leger made an effort to ski harder on the flats because she knew that is where she would make up the most time. She crossed the finish line more than 20 seconds ahead of second-place skier Haley Brewster, University of Vermont. 

“I didn’t know I had that big of a lead,” Palmer-Leger said. “At the top of the hill, I had seven seconds, so I tried resting as much as I could on the gradual downhills and then I had a sprint pace going as fast as I could on the last section.” 

Race celebration

Many skiers cross the finish line and collapse from exhaustion following their race. After regaining the strength to walk, it is important to celebrate with teammates and coaches for a job well done. 

The celebration continues on the podium where competitors are congratulated. Coming off the podium is when the reality of the victory will really kick in. 

“This is my last one so it is pretty surreal to win my first NCAA championship as a freshman and now as a senior,” Palmer-Leger said. “I wanted to ski well and be proud of the effort I did and that is exactly how it happened. I can remember being in Jackson, New Hampshire winning, and it’s the same feeling here — unreal.”

The NCAA Skiing Championships continue Friday with the night slalom races at Howelsen Hill. The women’s first run begins at 6:40 p.m. and the men will follow. After the first runs, there will be a fireworks show before the second runs begin at 9 p.m. 

Results
NCAA Ski Championship Nordic freestyle
Thursday, March 7, 2024, at Howelsen Hill

Team scores through Day 2: 1. Utah, 312.5; 2. Colorado, 256.5; 3. Denver, 251; 4. Dartmouth, 184; 5. Montana State, 183; 6. Vermont, 167; 7. Alaska Anchorage, 125; 8. New Hampshire, 99; 9. Westminster, 82; 10. Alaska Fairbanks, 72; 11. Middlebury, 62; 12. Colby, 47.5; 13. St. Michael’s, 44.5; 14. Michigan Tech, 43; 15. Harvard, 21; 16. Bowdoin, 17; 17. St. Lawrence, 15; 18. Plymouth State, 9; 19. Nevada, 3; 20. Northern Michigan, 1; 20, Williams, 1; 22. Bates, 0; 22. Boston College, 0.
Men’s 7.5km: 1. John Steel Hagenbuch, DAR, 19:09.1; 2. Joe Davies, UU, 19:20.2; 3. Tom Mancini, UU, 19:35.8; 4. Will Koch, CU, 19:40.6; 5. Florian Knopf, DU, 19:44.4; 6. Magnus Boee, CU, 19:46.3; 7. Johannes Flaaten, CU, 19:53.5; 8. Fredrik Nilsen, MSU, 19:58.9. 
Women’s 7.5km: 1. Sydney Palmer-Leger, UU, 22:08.1; 2. Haley Brewster, UVM, 22:29.2; 3. Jasmine Drolet, DAR, 22:30.6; 4. Tilde Baangman, MSU, 22:32.9; 5. Kate Oldham, MSU, 22:50.0; 6. Rosie Fordham, UAF, 22:51.5; 7. Astrid Stav, UAA, 22:55.8; 8. Anna-Maria Dietze, CU, 23:02.6.