Montana State University’s Justine Lamontagne won the women’s giant slalom national championship at the NCAA Ski Championships in Park City, Utah, on March 11. Lamontagne’s victory marks only the second women’s skiing national title in school history.
The achievement is significant for Montana State, as it highlights the strength of its skiing program and adds to its legacy of individual champions. Lamontagne joins Benedicte Lyche, who won the giant slalom in 2017, as one of only two women from Montana State to claim a national title.
Lamontagne, a senior from Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Quebec, led after her first run with a time of 1:02.97. “Her first run she put everything on the line and really separated herself from the rest of the field,” said MSU head alpine coach Kris Shampeny. “That puts her mindset at ease going into second run with that much of a cushion.” Her second run was completed in 1:01.01, which was eighth-best for that segment but enough to extend her overall lead. “In the second run she followed it up and put another three-tenths of a second on the field,” Shampeny said, “winning by almost 1.7 seconds overall. That’s one of the largest win margins we’ve had all year in our college races.”
Other Bobcat athletes also performed well during Wednesday’s competition. Lily Sewell finished 12th and Tea Kiesel placed 17th in the women’s race. In men’s giant slalom, Gianluca Boehm finished 12th while Will Steed tied for 13th place.
Shampeny credited Lamontagne’s performance as an inspiration for her teammates: “Justine’s success from first run pushed the others to bring their level up in the second runs, and it showed.” After day one of four at nationals, Montana State stands third overall with 109.5 points behind Colorado (137) and Utah (133).
Looking ahead, Montana State’s Nordic team will compete next at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, while Alpine athletes return Friday for slalom events where Lamontagne is considered among the favorites.
