BRIDGTON, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College women's alpine ski team earned a pair of giant slalom race victories at Shawnee Peak on Sunday afternoon. The Monks won the opener with a 3:53.07 composite time and capped the sweep with a 4:57.08 team performance.
The men registered a pair of runner-up finishes on the afternoon.
Today's races complete 2021 United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) racing season and with the results Saint Joseph's claims the coveted Ricker Cup, which is awarded annually to the top combined men's and women's program in the USCSA Reynolds Division. The SJC women's team won all seven events this winter while the Monks' men notched runner-up finishes in each race. St. Joe's shares the prestigious honor with UMaine-Farmington.
THE RUNDOWN – WOMEN (R1 l R2):
- Freshman Erica Irvin (Windham, N.H.) won both events with a 1:13.90 (36.94 – 36.96) combined time in the first giant slalom race and a 1:28.02 (43.47 – 44.55) effort in the second
- Sophomore Jillian Luby (Wolfeboro, N.H.) placed second in the opening giant slalom event with a 1:16.07 (38.19 – 37.88) total time and posted a 44.23 time in the first run of the second GS race
- Junior Sarah Hotchkiss (New Durham, N.H.) finished fourth in the first GS race with a 1:23.10 (41.34 – 41.76) performance and third in the finale with a 1:39.52 (49.35 – 50.17) time
- Freshman Kaitlyn Gerhard (Dover, N.H.) was seventh with a 1:29.51 (44.60 – 44.91) in the opening GS race and fifth (1:49.54, 53.68 – 55.86) in the second event
- Freshman Liam Strobeck (Charlotte, Vt.) won both giant slalom races with a 1:07.50 (33.76 – 33.74) time in the first event and a 1:18.43 (39.58 – 38.85) in the second
- Freshman Aidan Wolfinger (Bedford, N.H.) was fourth with a 1:10.83 (35.51 – 35.32) effort in the first race and finished sixth (1:24.76, 42.58 – 42.18) in the second event
- Sophomore Tucker Davis (South Berwick, Maine) posted a 38.15 time on the first run of the first event
- Freshman Caleb Gorton (Goffstown, N.H.) finished eighth (1:25.57, 42.19 – 43.38) in the nightcap and notched a 35.32 time on the second run of the first race
COACH QUOTABLE:
"I'm extremely proud of how our athletes raced this season, especially in such unique circumstances," adds Head Coach Margot Cosentino. "Each and every one of them made sacrifices to ensure a safe season for all. Although the season was different, we were able to provide our skiers with many great opportunities such as competing at a variety of mountains across Maine - Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Shawnee Peak, & Titcomb."
"We have a young team – we return all 10 athletes next winter - so we are really looking forward to building on this season's success next year!"
