The men’s and women’s ski teams opened up the 2006 season with plenty of enthusiasm and solid results. Last weekend, at the Middlebury Snowbowl, the men’s team, led by standout Colin Prensky ’07, came in second place in the slalom and grabbed third place in the grand slalom competition. On the women’s side, Liz Dee ’06 and hard-working captain Kristen Nordstrom ’06 have led the team to sixth place in the division standings.Behind speedsters Prensky and captain Will Leuchter-Mindel ’07, the men hold a third-place ranking in the league, only two points behind second-place Yale. The team has yet to finish lower than third place in any race this season. After skiing well at Middlebury, Prensky is tied atop the league’s individual leader board with an impressive 72 points, while Leuchter-Mindel’s 44 points put him eighth in the division. Sean Levy ’08 and Jamie Hiteshew ’08 are both poised for a midseason run after finishing in the top-15 in the slalom last weekend. This depth has vaulted the men’s team to among the best in the division.
“Outside of Castleton State, who brought in their entire team this year, we might have the deepest and youngest team in the division,” Hiteshew said. “With four sophomores and juniors earning top-15 finishes this season and a crop of freshmen coming up, the future looks bright.”
Prensky is one of only four skiers in the top ten to finish every race this year. The league leader has never finished lower than fifth in any race this season, with his top finish of third-place coming in the Grand Slalom competition on January 15.
As for the women, Dee and Nordstrom’s fast finishes have vaulted them into the top-20 of the individual standings, with Dee in 11th and Nordstrom in 20th place. On Jan. 14, Dee’s time of 47.73 earned her sixth place in the slalom. Nordstrom finished in 15th place, less than five seconds slower than Dee’s result. The next day, Nordstrom finished ninth in the grand slalom with a quick pace of 1:28.7. Dee finished 16th in that event at 1:34.5.
The following weekend, Dee posted a time of 1:48.6 in the slalom, good enough for ninth place. Team leaders attribute the success on both squads to increased enthusiasm, dedication, and, most importantly, fun.
“We have a lot of new faces this year, and everyone’s been really into it,” Leuchter-Mindel said. “In years past we’ve sometimes had problems getting people to leave campus and travel up to races for the weekend, but this year that hasn’t been an issue at all. I guess people just love skiing. Or maybe they just love the Wesleyan Ski Team. Or maybe they just love fun. But either way, it’s great to have so many people involved.”
The Cards thrive in the role of underdog, sneaking up on league powers while putting little added pressure on themselves.
“We have more fun than any other team in the division and none of them know how to ‘be the dog,’” Hiteshew said.
This loose, nothing-to-lose attitude has the Cardinals in prime position to qualify for regional competition in which the team would compete against much larger schools in the Northeast.
“We don’t have coaches and we don’t really train, but the men’s team is currently in position to qualify for regionals, and the women’s team is improving as well,” Leuchter-Mindel said. “It looks like all that fun is paying off.”
Both teams will travel to Mad River Glen for slalom and grand slalom competitions on Feb. 4 and 5.
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