Johs Braathen Herland and Erica Lavén from the Utah Ski Team have been named RMISA MVPs, according to an announcement from the conference. Herland received the men’s slalom MVP award, while Lavén was recognized as the women’s classic MVP.
The RMISA MVP honor is awarded in each discipline to the skier who earns the most NCAA qualification points during the regular season.
Herland previously earned the men’s giant slalom MVP title in 2025. Lavén swept both classic and freestyle Nordic MVP honors last year. Over the past six seasons, a Utah women’s Nordic skier has claimed an RMISA MVP five times.
This season, Herland achieved 13 top-10 finishes out of 14 starts, including 10 podium appearances and six victories. He accumulated 200 points in slalom, finishing 35 points ahead of his nearest competitor. Four of his six wins came in slalom events. Notably, he won the first four races of this season—including two slaloms—becoming the first Utah skier since at least 2019 to win all four opening alpine races in an RMISA season. Herland is also a two-time All-RMISA First Team selection for both 2025 and 2026.
Lavén, also a two-time All-RMISA First Team honoree, secured her MVP status by earning 160 points in classic races. She won seven out of eight starts this season and claimed victory in all five classic events, including a West Region individual title. At the Utah Invitational’s 15K classic mass start on home snow, she finished first by a margin of 54 seconds. Last year, Lavén was crowned NCAA Individual Champion in the women’s 7.5K classic.
Utah will host the 2026 National Collegiate Skiing Championships from March 11 to March 14. Alpine competitions are scheduled for Park City at Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center within Utah Olympic Park, while Nordic events will be held at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway. Admission and parking are free throughout all four days of competition.
Further details about the national championships can be found by clicking here.
The full list of this year’s RMISA MVPs includes:
Alpine
– Filip Wahlqvist (Colorado), Men’s Giant Slalom
– Johs Braathen Herland (Utah), Men’s Slalom
– Louison Accambray (Colorado), Women’s Giant Slalom
– Sara Rask (Denver), Women’s Slalom
Nordic
– Storm Pedersen (Colorado), Men’s Classic
– Simon Chappaz (Montana State), Men’s Freestyle
– Erica Lavén (Utah), Women’s Classic
– Tilde Baangman (Colorado), Women’s Freestyle
Fans can follow updates from the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam or download information through the Utah 360 app.
