Nordic Team Lifts MSU to Eighth Place Finish at NCAAs

Saturday, March 8

Hanover, N.H.

8 a.m. (MT)

Montana State University

20K Freestyle (M)

Katey Houser (22) finished sixth in the 20K freestyle at the 72nd Annual NCAA Skiing Championshps on Saturday morning.

Photo by: NCAAphotos

3/8/2025 9:21:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing

FINAL NCAA SKIING CHAMPIONHIPS RESULTS

“It was a great racing environment with alpine teams, parents, friends, students, student-athletes from Dartmouth, and ski fans from all over New England lining the course,” St. Pierre added.

By: Tom Schulz

Montana State's Katey Houser, Kate Oldham, and Anna Pryce recorded MSU's best team performance in a single event as the trio placed sixth, tenth, and 11^th, respectively, on the final day of the 72^nd Annual NCAA Skiing Championships at Oak Hill Outdoor Center on Saturday morning.

"That was a great way to end the 2025 NCAA Championships," said MSU Nordic coach Adam St. Pierre. "The 20K mass start race is traditionally the last race of the championships, with individual and team goals on the line.

"It was a great racing environment with alpine teams, parents, friends, students, student-athletes from Dartmouth, and ski fans from all over New England lining the course," St. Pierre added. "The energy at the venue was amazing. We hope to match that when we host in 2026."

Houser, a junior from Palmer, Alaska, skiing in her first NCAA Championships, had her best race of the season with a solid sixth place showing. She covered the 20K freestyle course in 51:40.1. Kendall Kramer of Alaska Fairbanks won the freestyle title in 50:14.2. For her efforts, Houser garnered Second Team All-America recognition.

"We're so proud of Katey," St. Pierre commented. "It was her career best result, and now she's looking forward to NCAAs on our home course next winter."

Kate Oldham earned Second Team All-America honors for the second time in the championships, finishing tenth in 51:49.0. The senior from Carbondale, Colo., placed seventh in the 7.5K classic on Thursday. It marked her third career All-American accolade.

Anna Pryce, a senior from Canmore, Alberta, skiing in her third NCAA Skiing Championships, notched her best ever finish with an 11^th place showing in 52:07.8.

"Kate and Anna's results are bittersweet in that they are the last races of their Bobcat careers," St. Pierre said. "They have both been key leaders on our team throughout their time in Bozeman. I'm thrilled that they were able to end on a high note."

As a unit, the threesome recorded 68 points, the highest in a single event by the Bobcats at the championships. They finished behind Utah 78 and Colorado 72.

"The three women were able to ski together in a pack of athletes from Utah, Dartmouth, Vermont, and Middlebury for 19.9K and sprint it out in the last hundred meters," St. Pierre said. "We're stoked to have all three in the top eleven."

Gavin Galyardt guided the men's Nordic squad finishing 22^nd in 47:57.0, while Grey Barbier was 30^th in 49:57.4.

"The mass start is seeded based on regular season results, so Gavin and Grey started in the 11^th and 12^th rows," St. Pierre said. "Gavin did a great job moving up through the pack from his starting position near the back. Grey was also able to move up enough to score points for the team."

Utah's Joe Davies won the freestyle crown in 43:33.9.

Utah won its fifth national title in the last six years recording 590 points. The Utes were followed in the top 10 by Colorado 523, Dartmouth 508.5, Denver 384, Vermont 368, Middlebury 252.5, Alaska Anchorage 251, MSU 234, New Hampshire 208, and Colby 120.