Over the weekend, the Wildcats of the alpine ski team traveled to Minnesota to compete at the USCSA Giants Ridge event.
In the three events the teams have competed in this season, the women’s team has placed first in every race, while the men’s team has placed first in every race except one, where they finished second.
On the women’s side, the team took every spot from first through 10th place. The men’s side claimed over half the top-10 spots.
Freshman Tommie Springer took first place for the women in the giant slalom and third in the slalom. Joining her was senior Ainsley Kirk, who finished second in the giant slalom.
For the men on the first day of competition, the Wildcats earned first and second place. Freshman Kayan Hopke took first, and in second place was senior Aaron Grzelak.
On the second day of competition, the Wildcats brought the heat once again, placing first in both men’s and women’s divisions, sweeping the hill for the weekend.
The men dominated the podium, taking all top-three spots. Grzelak had the fastest time, earning the first-place medal. Coming in second was Hopke, and rounding out the top three was junior Reed Heathman.
The women also took home the top-three spots. Senior Reagan Olli had the fastest time and claimed first place. Following Olli was freshman Marisa Witte, who was in third, but had a great run that secured the second-place spot. Junior Maddy Stern completed the podium in third place.
The Wildcats are back on the road the first weekend in February to compete in the USCSA Spirit Mountain event. From there, the team will move on to USCSA regionals in a few weeks.