Lyme, N.H. - Slight rain throughout the duration of the NCAA Skiing Championship opener did not deter Colby skiers from making a statement in Wednesday's Slalom.  Hosted by Dartmouth College, the best alpine and Nordic ski racers form across all divisions gather this week for the national event.  

Harrison Digangi (headline photo) created a highlight for himself in his young career as a Mule.  The sophomore started with bib 27, cut it to 17 after the first run, and put down a thrilling second run that moved him all the way into fifth and a claim to All-American First Team status.  If not for a mistake on the lower pitch second run, Digangi may have been hoisting the gold.  Regardless, his finish marked the first Colby All-American since teammate Lydia Riddell in 2023, and the first male alpine skier since Josh Kernan '10 and Vincent Lebrun-Fortin '11 raced into the top-10 together in 2010.  The race was won by Jayden Buckrell of UNH.  Digangi was the top Division III finisher.  

On the women's side, EISA SL champion Carissa Cassidy (left) picked up where she left off two weeks ago in the EISA Carnival finale.  The junior led the packed field after run one and, despite a mistake in the middle section on the second run, held on to ninth place to become a Second Team All-American.  Cassidy was also the top Division III finisher.  The race was won by Sarah Rask of Denver. 

Senior Hannah Soria pieced together two fantastic runs to place 14th, and finish as the second Division III racer.  Senior Lydia Riddell navigated the terrain well to finish 29th and help the Colby women finish 6th on the day.  Ahead of the Mules were Colorado, Vermont, Denver, Alaska, and Dartmouth.  Right behind was Montana State, Utah, and New Hampshire.  

"Today was a phenomenal day," said Head Coach Eric Harlow. "Qualifying for this event is a huge career milestone, and three of our four Mules are here for the second time! We couldn't be prouder of Harrison and Carissa for earning All-American honors.  We're fired up and ready to charge into the GS on Friday!"

Thursday marks the first Nordic race of the series, and the competitors return to the Dartmouth Skiway Friday for the Giant Slalom event.