Flying under the proverbial radar – not to mention down snow-covered mountains throughout New England’s great white north – the Massachusetts men’s and women’s ski teams and its members have thrived both individually and as a team under first-year head coach Ken Thoman in 2003-04.
Led by former UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week Ashley Maxfield, who has won six of the 10 races she has competed in and is ranked No. 9 in the Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference with 66 points, the Minutewomen currently sit in first place out of 10 teams in the Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference with 22 points.
On the men’s side, freshman Rush Hawkins, a six-time winner on the season that leads the MacConnell Division’s men’s individual standings with 197 net points, has helped the Minutemen to fifth out of 10 teams in the ECAC with 44 points.
At the USCSA Eastern Regionals held at Waterville Valley, the Minutewomen finished seventh in the Slalom and third in the Giant Slalom to come in fifth overall in the event.
Barranger led in the slalom with a two-run time of 1:39.67, good for 20th overall, while Maxfield saw her undefeated record in the event receive its first blemish, as she placed 25th overall with a two-run time of 1:41.77.
In the GS, Maxfield placed third overall with a two-run time of 2:00.76, while Doughty placed eighth with a two-run time of 2:03.71. Collins also contributed, placing 15th overall with a two-run time of 2:05.14.
At the St. Anselm Carnival held at Pat’s Peak, Maxfield continued her undefeated season in the Slalom, winning for the fifth consecutive time after posting a two-run score of 1:44.84.
The Minutewomen, who placed third overall as a team, received solid contributions from Collins, who placed 11th with a two-run time of 1:49.32, and sophomore captain Erica Mains, who finished 21st with a two-run time of 1:55.60. Sophomore Lisbet Rauh placed 25th with a two-run time of 1:58.44.
The Minutemen, meanwhile, also finished third behind Pomeroy, who turned in the top UMass performance with a sixth place finish out of 62 entrants with a two-race time of 1:40.08. Hawkins came in eighth place with a time of 1:41.20, while sophomore Patrick Bachant placed 11th with a time of 1:41.77.
In Giant Slalom competition at the Colby-Sawyer Carnival at Mount Sunapee, the Minutewomen managed to place fourth despite Maxfield’s poorest finish of the season: twelfth out of 57 competitors with a two-run time of 2:01.11.
On the men’s side, Hawkins continued his successful campaign by winning the event with a two-race time of 1:49.19. Bachant finished 11th overall with a two-run time of 1:54.55, and Pomeroy finished 13th overall with a two-run time of 1:54.65.
The Minutewomen – namely Maxfield – also found success at the Boston College Carnival held at Ascutney Mountain, where the team finished third in the Slalom and second in the GS while Maxfield continued her tremendous success with wins in both events.
Maxfield won her fourth consecutive Slalom with a two-run time of 1:43.32, and took home her second straight Giant Slalom with a two-run time of 1:44.48.
Freshman Jen Barranger placed 12th overall in the Slalom with a time of 1:52.75, while in the Giant Slalom, sophomore Caitlin Doughty turned in a top-10 time of 1:46.18, placing her fifth overall.
Hawkins and Maxfield led the charge at both the MIT Slalom Carnival held at Loon Mountain as well as the Brown University Giant Slalom Carnival held at Tenney Mountain. The Minutewomen won both events while the men rebounded from a last-place finish in the Slalom to finish second in the Giant Slalom.
Maxfield placed first in the Slalom for the third consecutive week with a two-run time of 1:49.62, and beat out 50 skiers in the GS to record her first win of the season in the event with a two-run time of 1:41.22.
Sophomore Shaleighne Collins also turned in a top-10 performance in the Slalom with a two-run time of 1:57.67, good for eighth. In the GS sophomore captain Caitlin Doughty turned in a fourth-place finish with a time of 1:43.49.
Hawkins finished third in the Slalom, but saved his best for the Giant Slalom, winning with a two-run time of 1:34.97. Senior captain Pomeroy came in ninth with a time of 1:38.97.
Competing in Waterville Valley, N.H. for the Plymouth State Carnival, the men finished third out of 10 in the Slalom (328.06 points) and fifth out of 10 in the Giant Slalom (547.71 points), and the women captured fourth in the Slalom (326.34 points) and second in the Giant Slalom (201.44 points.)
Hawkins won both the Slalom and GS for the Minutemen, marking the first time this season the freshman accomplished that feat, while Maxfield won the Slalom for the Minutewomen and finished as the runner-up in the Giant Slalom.
At the season opening UMass Carnival held at Berkshire East in Charlemont, Mass., the women emerged from the ten-team field victorious while the men placed fifth out of 10.
Individually, Maxfield, a freshman, was victorious in the Slalom, while also leading the women to team victory in the event. The Minutewomen finished the Slalom with 210.81 points, and also won the Giant Slalom with 284.4 points. Maxfield, who finished second in the Giant Slalom, missed first place by just .47 seconds with a two-run score of 1:31.92.
On the men’s side, UMass placed fifth as a team in the Slalom with 344.45 points and placed fourth in the Giant Slalom with 460.59 points. Freshman Rush Hawkins won the GS with a two-run score of 1:26.65, including a 41.27 mark on his second run that was the top run of the day.
Senior captain David Pomeroy finished sixth with a time of 1:29.35, while sophomore Marc Epstein came in eighth with a time of 1:29.35.
