Ski team competes at Mount Sunapee
The MIT Ski Team completed its first week of IAP training camp this weekend with two giant slalom races at Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire. On each race day, the skiers are timed in two runs of the course(s), and their total times determine finishes. In the McConnell Division, totals of each team’s top four female and top five male finishes determine the team results. Every MIT individual racer posted successful finishes, though the small teams’ standings were affected by time penalties for having too few scores. The women’s team is currently tenth out of ten schools, while the men are ninth out of nine schools.
On Friday, the women’s top finisher was CME student Jennifer L. Hawkin ’12 (64th). She was followed by Captain Jillian R. Reddy ’11 in 67th and Sarah J. Laderman ’12 in 70th. The men saw a promising top-25 finish from Jason D. Pier ’13 in 24th. Racers in the top 25 earn points according to their finish place and totals at the end of the season determine qualification for the postseason. Pier was followed closely by Michael J. Yurkerwich ’11 in 30th. Rounding out the finishes was Jonathan D. Allen ’14 in 60th.
Chyleigh J. Harmon ’14 joined the women’s team on Saturday and was their top finisher in 57th. Behind her, Reddy and Hawkin were separated by just 0.21 total seconds in 69th and 70th, respectively. Laderman completed the women’s race in 74th. For the men, Pier tied for 29th. Yurkerwich had a difficult first run and placed 57th for the day, but his second run had an encouraging top-25 time. Yurkerwich will be competing for an individual berth at the Regional Championships this season. To complete the weekend, Allen finished 62nd.
The men will have a fourth racer next weekend: CME student Joshua Walker ’12.
Coached by volunteer alumni Ben A. Stewart ’07 and Ian C. Wolfe ’10, the team looks forward to two slalom races at Cranmore on Friday and Saturday.