The Massachusetts men's and women's ski teams got a major lift from their seniors last weekend, as Eliza Hawkins and Jason Small both finished first overall at the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association Regional, leading the Minutewomen and Minutemen to second- and first-place finishes, respectively.
"It was obviously a very good weekend," UMass coach Skip Fox said. "Our two senior stars shined. Jason was in the second and the first and Eliza in the third and the second, and to come out as the individual champions of the event, they both skied well."
It was definitely a team effort for the Minutemen in the giant slalom event, as four out of five skiers placed in the top 10 at the USCSA Regional.
Small took first with a combined time of one minute, 59.67 seconds, while Ian Hohmeister took sixth and Andrew Hawes took ninth. Matthew Small came in 10th, but his score did not count, as only the top three finishers for each team can score for their respective team.
For the women, Eliza Hawes was dominant, finishing the giant slalom with a time 2:05.61 seconds, while Emily Shilleto finished fourth. Freshman standout Jamie Talouomis scored for the Maroon and White, finishing in 14th place with a time of 2:10.91. Sophomores Ashley Hawes and Heidi Skinner also finished with impressive runs.
The team will look to continue its hot streak as it heads to Sunday River, Maine, this Sunday for the United States Collegiate Skiing Association National Championships.
"I am hoping everybody skis the way they did last weekend," Fox said.
UMass faces not only its Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association foes but also some tough teams from out West coming to the East Coast to compete in the championships.
"Our biggest competition is going to be Colby-Sawyer College and Plymouth State for the women," Fox said.
"Coming in from out West, Rocky Mountain College and the University of Sierra Nevada are both very strong. It is going to be a challenge but we have an advantage of being in the East," he said.
Teams like Colorado State, Idaho and Puget Sound will give UMass a challenge, but Fox believes if the team has a good couple of days, it will finish strong and produce good results.
Fox also realizes the differences in skiing conditions from the
East Coast to the West Coast.
"It is a different ballgame in terms of snow conditions," Fox said.
"They are used to skiing on softer snow, which requires a little more touch. We are used to skiing on the boiler plain ice which you get here in the east, which definitely requires tough, technical skills."
David Brinch can be reached at dbrinch@student.umass.edu.
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