Coming into the last weekend of the regular season at Cranmore Mountain in New Hampshire, both the men's and women's ski teams had clear goals in mind. The men, in a three−way tie for second place, hoped to pull out in front, while the women hoped to hold off WPI for the coveted fourth−place spot in the conference standings and their first trip to the Regional race in three years.
By the end of the weekend, both had earned a trip to Regionals, but in very different fashions. While the men's team struggled throughout the weekend, the women thrived.
The women's team has learned over the course of the season what it is like to have its back up against the wall. Finishing in seventh and sixth place in the first two events of the season, respectively, the Jumbos have been clawing their way up from the beginning.
Despite a streak of strong finishes, the team's destiny still hinged on the two races this past weekend. Entering the race leading WPI by only seven points for the final Regionals spot in the Thompson division, one poor race could have been disastrous for Tufts.
"On the first day there were a lot of disqualifications so it was definitely a bit nerve−wracking," senior Nicole Fontaine said.
But on both days, the Jumbos showed the consistency that has gotten them this far. On Saturday, Fontaine broke the one−minute mark in both races, finishing in 56.64 in the first and a 59.03 in the second, comfortably cruising to 12th place. A 34th−place finish for senior co−captain Lindsay Verola and a 36th−place showing by sophomore Fritzi Pieper rounded out the scoring for Tufts, who cruised to a fourth−place finishing score of 405.91, beating WPI's 418.03.
Sunday was more of the same for a unit that came out extremely focused. Fontaine continued to put up strong results, and though her 59.10 time in the second race of the day kept her out of contention for the top spots, she comfortably skied to a ninth−place finish with a combined 1:59.10. Sophomore Jessica Levine, who had struggled on Saturday, surged up the ranks on Sunday, and with two almost identical runs locked up 24th place.
The third−place team finish was more than enough to end WPI's hopes of a Regionals spot, giving the Jumbos their own coveted slot as Tufts ended the season six points behind Northeastern and 13 ahead of WPI.
"It meant a lot to us as a team," Fontaine said. "It also meant a lot to me personally. We qualified my freshman year and hadn't qualified since. It was great for me to go out on a winning note. All of the girls are really excited."
However, things did not go nearly as well for the men's team, as it was faced with a series of disastrously bad breaks. Senior captain Brian Bresee, who entered the weekend in fourth place individually, did not finish his first run on either Saturday or Sunday, and junior Thomas Valentin, usually the team's second−best skier, could not race due to a last minute injury.
"I think it was just a series of unlucky events," junior Arlin Ladue said. "Tom tweaked his knee and Brian took a couple of nasty crashes. Sometimes that is just how ski races go."
Senior Pat Tonelli did his best to keep Tufts' dreams afloat, with a 23rd−place finish on Saturday and a 20th−place finish on Sunday, and Ladue chipped in a season−best 13th−place performance on Saturday, but it was not nearly enough. The men finished in fourth on both days, dropping them into fourth for the year, far behind second and third place teams WPI and Northeastern.
Still, the slot for the Regional race remained intact for the Jumbos.
The weekend also brought some individual positives for both the men's and women's teams. Bresee and Valentin were selected to the men's All−Thompson Division Team, while Fontaine was selected to the women's team.
"It was a little bit unexpected; because I took last year off I wasn't expecting to do that well," Fontaine said. "But it was nice to go out on a winning note and be recognized for the hard work I put in."
Both teams had seasons full of ups and downs, but as Regionals approach, their slates will once again be cleared. But each side understands the type of competition they will be up against.
"It's going to be fun to have both the men's and women's teams there this year," Ladue said. "Anytime we go into Regionals we are optimistic, but at the same point we are aware of what we are getting ourselves into."
