March 7, 2008

SUNDAY RIVER, ME- Three UMass skiers placed in the top ten as the Minutemen dominated the Giant Slalom at the USCSA Nationals. Senior Jason Small skied to a second place overall finish with a combined time of 2:16.66, Andrew Hawes took eighth place with a total time of 2:19.21, and Ian Hohmeister placed ninth crossing the finish line at 2:19.48. Small's first run in the Giant Slalom earned him the top spot with a time of 1:07.23, winning the race by over a second. The Minutemen as a team also took first place by over a second, out skiing Plymouth State University and Sierra Nevada College.

The Giant Slalom poised a challenge for the Minutewomen as they placed ninth out of 19 teams at the USCSA Nationals in the Giant Slalom. Heidi Skinner was the top finisher for the Minutewomen with a time of 2:45.79. Skinner placed fourth in her first run but missed a gate on her second to delay her overall time. Ashley Hawes and Emily Shilletto also placed for the women with times of 2:47.13 and 2:56.55, respectively. Eliza Hawkins and Jamie Taloumis encountered problems in their first runs and were not able to finish them.

The Minutewomen return to the slopes Friday, March 7th and Minutemen return on Saturday, March 8th, both competing in the Slalom portion of the USCSA Nationals. The men look to continue their dynamic skiing and the women look to turn around their disappointing first day at the USCSA Nationals. Live timings and results of the event can be found at www.uscsa.com.