Park City, Utah - The Colby Alpine and Nordic Ski teams will conclude their seasons this week in Park City, Utah. After six weekends of racing across New England, five Mules emerged as among the nation's very best.
The Nordic team had a fantastic season that included a plethora of Top-10s, two podiums and for the first time in school history, they have qualified a full women's team of three to the NCAA Skiing Championships hosted by the University of Utah.
Leading the team will be Erin Bianco, whose stellar senior season included nine top-10 finishes, three top-5s, and two podiums. The exclamation mark was her final carnival where she finished 3rd in the Classic and 4th in the Freestyle. Her season led to a Second Team All-east selection, ranking sixth on the circuit. Joining Bianco will be Gretta Scholz and Rose Clayton, a sophomore duo who combined for 13 top-20 finishes, help the Women's team to ten top-5 finishes throughout the EISA season. The three ladies will compete at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center with a 5km Classic race on Thursday and a 15km Freestyle race on Saturday.
On the Alpine side, two skiers emerged as among the very best on the entire EISA circuit. On the women's side, it was Ella Spear who skied a fantastic season with four top-20 finishes in Giant Slalom, including a 7th place finish at Saint Michaels and a tenth place finish at Middlebury. For the men, there was never much doubt as Chauncey Morgan delivered outstanding finishes at the Saint Michaels and Dartmouth Carnival Slaloms, where he finished in 4th and 6th respectively. The Alpine skiers will tackle the world-renowned CB's Hill at Park City Resort. The same hill played host to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, providing a grueling challenge for the racers.
The GS hill is known as one of the steeper hills in the United States, ready to test the Mules's bravery, strength, and fitness. Colby's home hill at Sugarloaf, Narrow Gauge, has steeps of a similar degree, setting Colby skiers up to compete. Alpine racing will kick off with the Giant Slalom on Wednesday, followed by the Slalom on Friday.
The athletes attending the NCAA Skiing Championships represent some of the best in the world, with many members of foreign national teams as well as athletes returning from the Olympic Games. All races are available to watch live on the NCAA live stream here.
