Pier Places Fifth in Giant Slalom at Nationals
Pier Places Fifth in Giant Slalom at Nationals
After leading the alpine skiing team to one of its best seasons in recent memory, Timothy F. Pier ’08 performed well last weekend, this time as an individual. Pier placed fifth overall in the giant slalom at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championship, held at Sunday River, Maine.
Competing against the top skiers in the country, Pier found himself in tenth place after the first run with a time of 1:09.68. An impressive second run of 1:08.89 outdid all but two of his competitors to bring his combined time to 2:18.57, good enough for fifth place.
In the slalom, Pier placed 26th overall with a combined time of 1:49.26. A strong first run put Pier temporarily in eleventh, but he couldn’t hold on after a tough second run.
The competition ends Pier’s collegiate skiing career on a high note. Skiing to the cheers of his teammates, who made the trip up to Maine to support him, Pier delivered on a national stage uncommon for most MIT skiers.
Pier was just the second skier in MIT history to qualify for the National Championship, following the tracks of Jason W. Christopher ’05.
Pier qualified for nationals after finishing eleventh overall in the giant slalom at the USCSA Eastern Regional Championship on Feb. 24. His overall time of 2:01.60 made him the top performer on a non-qualifying team, allowing him to represent MIT at nationals.