The alpine ski team is reaching new heights as its season comes to an end.
With a deep young squad, the men's team has blazed through the competition this year and currently holds the No. 1 team ranking in the ECSC Thompson Division. The women's team has struggled with consistency at times, but still ranks third in the league behind powerhouses Boston University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
"The guys' team is pretty much the best it's ever been," senior Andrew Tonelli said. "We're definitely going to make Regionals. And if we do well there, there's a possibility we could make Nationals."
The men are peaking at just the right time. Their top three racers- sophomore Andrew Benson, freshman Hans Tiefenthaler and junior Eric Johnson - took the top three spots, respectively, in last weekend's second race at Dartmouth. As a result of these performances, and those recorded by Tonelli and junior captain Jeph Shaw, Tufts came out on top of the field in the second team race, after finishing second behind WPI in the first team competition.
The giant slalom-style (GS) race at Dartmouth played into the hands of the well-balanced group. Benson, who specializes in GS, recorded the best time of the weekend, clocking in at 1:04.10. Tiefenthaler was right on his teammate's heels with a 1:05.98, the second best time of the two-day meet.
"This weekend was the first time we had everything really come together," Shaw said.
"[Benson, Tiefenthaler, and Johnson] are the best skiers in the league right now," Tonelli added. "We're looking solid."
After winning four of their seven races so far this season, the men will enter this weekend's Mt. Snow/Dartmouth slalom events poised to defend their No. 1 ranking and take the next step towards Regionals.
"No matter what discipline we've been skiing, we've been winning," Tonelli said. "We've won three slaloms this year and if we ski up to what we're capable of skiing, there's no doubt we will win at Mt. Snow and Dartmouth."
Despite its success, Tufts has felt constant pressure from league rival WPI. The two teams split first-place honors last weekend and have battled for supremacy throughout the year.
"WPI is probably a little deeper than we are, but our top skiers seem to edge them out," Tonelli said. "As long as we're not falling, there's no reason we should be losing to them. They don't seem to fall as much as we do and always provide good competition."
Shaw points to Benson's work ethic, Tiefenthaler's unique mid-western style and Johnson's perseverance in coming back from a knee injury as key contributing factors to the team's success. If this well-rounded club team, which races in a primarily club division, can beat out two varsity squads at Regionals, it could be the first Tufts men's ski team ever to qualify for Nationals.
The women's team does not sport the same depth as the men's, but has still raced successfully this season. Senior captain Eliza Appert and classmates Chloe Snider and Lael Nelson have placed consistently throughout the year. Freshman Alissa Brandon and senior Laura D'Angelo have also contributed.
"We're struggling a little bit with development," Nelson said. "Alissa is really stepping up, but five of our top seven skiers are seniors which will be a problem next season."
As for this year, however, the top three women have led Tufts to three first-place finishes, just one behind the men's team. The team floundered a bit last weekend at Dartmouth as Brandon and junior Jen Crawford fell, and Appert, Snider and Nelson combined for just two top-10 individual finishes.
"We had a lot of injury and sickness combined last weekend," Nelson said. "Hopefully everyone will be alright; there wasn't anything major that put anyone out."
The women excel in the slalom events while often struggling at GS, which should work in their favor this weekend as they continue to vie for a bid to Regionals.
"We're looking forward to a successful weekend," Appert said. "Since we're much better at slalom than GS, this race should help us in the standings."
"We'll have some absences due to academic things, but we need to get three top finishers this weekend," Nelson added. "The third top finisher will keep us in the range to go to Regionals."
For both sides of the team, ski season offers the chance to get away from campus and compete at all levels. As a club sport, skiing affords athletes of all levels the opportunity to bond with fellow skiers in a more relaxed atmosphere than those of varsity organizations.
"Ski team is a lot of fun because you have people who are trying to win, but you also have those who are there to cheer everyone on," Shaw said. "All of it goes towards the team doing well."
"Ski team is my favorite part of Tufts, bar none," Nelson added. "We have a great time bonding with people across the grades. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we definitely rise to the challenge and compete at a high level. It's a nice balance."
