PARK CITY, Utah — Montana State senior Justine Lamontagne became the most decorated skier in Bobcat history Friday, winning her second national championship in three days by capturing the slalom title at the 2026 NCAA Ski Championships.
The senior from Quebec, Canada, paired the slalom championship with her giant slalom win on Wednesday to become the first Bobcat and the seventh woman from any school to win two championships in the same meet. She also became Montana State’s all-time leader with six All-America honors.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Montana State Alpine head coach Kris Shampeny. “It was a great day”
The day didn’t end with Lamontagne’s heroics, as both of her teammates earned All-America honors. Tea Kiesel finished fourth in 1:35.96 to earn first-team All-America honors, and Lily Sewell marked a 1:37.45 to finished tied for 10th to earn second-team honors.
Shampeny said that Sewell competed through a disadvantageous start position in the first run to turn things around with a strong final pass.
“With the way the course was deteriorating she took advantage of her start position in the second run, coming 12th out of the gate, to get second on that run," Shampeny said. "To watch her move up (in the standings) as the race moved on, it was cool.”
Kiesel enjoyed consistency on Friday, posting a 48.53 in the first run and 28.91 in the second.
“For Tea to put two solid runs together from run one to run two and move up to fourth, you can’t ask for anything more than that,” Shampeny said. “I know she wanted to podium, but she got close and overall it worked out.’
Montana State’s three women Alpine athletes combined to scored 91.5 points to become the first group of Bobcats with the most points of any school in a single event. The men and women combined for 126 points, one behind Colorado for the most points of any team on Friday.
“It was a really great showing,” Shampeny said.
The MSU men’s team produced one All-America and two other solid performances in the slalom. Torius Hepsoe trimmed nearly three seconds off his first run to capture ninth place and garner second-team All-America honors. Shampeny was pleased with the freshman’s ability to adjust.
“The way he adapted was impressive,” Shampeny said. “In the first run I thought he might have been a little bit stiff in his skiing, just not flowing with the set and the hill. It was kind of pushing him around. He hung in there and was able to get into 12th place in that first run, and the way he adapted his skiing to the conditions to really put together a quick (second run) and move up a little bit was cool to see.”
Senior Gianluca Boehm’s 1:36.98 placed him in a tie for 21st.
“Giani’s been the rock of our team all year, and he showed it today,” Shampeny said. “He had a couple of mistakes on each run that overall slowed him down, but he’s been the solid guy all year long and he did a great job fighting through conditions he had, especially on the first run starting 26th and moving up the way he did.”
Freshman Will Steed made it down the mountain in 1:43.98 for 28th place, handling adversity along the way.
“Will was having a decent first run and he had to hike, which happens in slalom,” Shampeny said. “That’s the way it goes. Then he came out and got second on the second run, moved up a couple of places, and his job is to just get us a third guy in the finish and getting some more points for the team. Even if it was only four, that can make the difference between winning the day and losing the day.”
As strong as the efforts of the full team was, much of the focus still falls on the first Bobcat to win two national championships.
“In my opinion if she’s not the best, she’s one of the best skiers we’ve ever had at MSU,” Shampeny said. “I think she flourished in this program. She didn’t come in as the best. She was a great skier, but this program allowed her to mature and move on to the Canadian National Team, this was a springboard for that, but she enjoys the team so much that she wanted to come back and compete for us and wants the team to do well. Her heart that’s behind this makes her one of the best we’ve ever had, and her performances show that, too.”
The 2026 NCAA Championships conclude on Saturday with the men’s and women’s freestyle Nordic race.
MSU WOMEN’S SLALOM RESULTS
1. Justine Lamontagne, 1:33.71 (1st run – 44.30, 2nd run – 49.41)
4. Tea Kiesel, 1:35.96 (1st run – 46.45, 2nd run 29.51)
T10. Lily Sewell, 1:37.45 (1st run – 48.53, 2nd run – 48.92)
MSU MEN’S SLALOM RESULTS
9. Torius Hepsoe, 1:35.27 (49.06 – 1st run, 46.21 – 2nd run)
T21. Gianluca Boehm, 1:36.98 (51.04 – 1st run, 45.94 – 2nd run)
28. Will Steed, 1:43.98 (1:00.25 – 1st run, 43.73 – 2nd run)
NCAA WOMEN’S TWO-EVENT NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, SAME YEAR
2026 – Justine Lamontagne, Montana State
2025 – Sara Rask, Denver
2018 – Amelia Smart, Denver
2013 – Kristine Haugen, Denver
2008 – Lucie Zikova, Colorado
1990 – Anke Friedrich, Utah
1985 – Ann Melander, Wyoming
