UAA skier Astrid Stav didn’t take long to rise to the top in NCAA skiing.
In the fourth race of her college career, Stav glided to victory in the women’s 10-kilometer classic race Saturday at the Denver Invitational in Minturn, Colorado.
The victory was a short time coming.
Stav, who is from Norway, joined the Seawolves at the semester break and has posted podium finishes in three straight NCAA races.
After two straight runner-up showings, she triumphed by four seconds Saturday.
Stav, 22, was one of three Seawolves to reach the podium in Minturn. On Friday, she and Tuva Bygrave — another UAA newcomer — placed second and third in the women’s 5K freestyle, and on Saturday, Sigurd Roenning grabbed third place in the men’s 10K classic.
Anchorage’s Zanden McMullen, who skis for Montana State, placed fourth in both men’s races to continue his strong season.
The Seawolves claimed fourth place in the team standings with 503.5 points, 35 points behind third-place Montana State. Always-tough Utah won with 683 points.
Stav introduced herself to Anchorage two weeks ago by winning an Anchorage Cup 15-kilometer race by three minutes. Two days later she hit the road with the Seawolves, and she’s been on a roll ever since.
In her first meet, at Utah’s Soldier Hollow, she placed fifth in her debut race and grabbed second place the next day, finishing eight seconds behind the winner.
Stav added another second-place finish Friday in Colorado, finishing 4.5 seconds behind winner Novie McCabe of Utah in the women’s 5K freestyle race. Bygrave placed third, nearly a minute off her teammate’s pace.
In Saturday’s race, Stav edged McCabe by four seconds. Bygrave was about a minute back in fifth place.