CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's and women's freeski and snowboard teams competed at Sugarloaf this weekend in a USASA Maine Mountain Series slopestyle event.
The event was split into two days, with the snowboarders competing on Saturday and the freeskiers competing on Sunday. Each day featured different age brackets, ranging from seven years old all the way up to the 19-22 year old bracket and the 23-29 year old bracket, where a majority of the Beavers competed.
Saturday Snowboard
On the men's side, first-year Kyle Ingalls (Bowdoin, Maine) placed 4th overall in the 17-18 year old division. Ingalls completed his two runs, with his best score coming on the first, accumulating 15.67 points. In his second run, Ingalls earned 14.67 points.
In the 19-22 year old division, the Beavers had the only four athletes competing. Junior Ezra Mathieu (Lewiston, Maine) narrowly defeated his teammate Caelan Billings (Sullivan, Maine). Mathieu put together a strong first run, finishing with 60.33 points. But Mathieu had an even stronger second run, as the three judges averaged a score of 67.67. Billings' second run was his best, averaging 64.0 to finish just behind Mathieu. Billings scored 51.33 on his first run.
Tucker Boudreau (Gardiner, Maine) and Jackson Boudreau (Gardiner, Maine) placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the 19-22 year old division. Tucker Boudreau scored 29.0 on his first run, his best score of the two. Jackson Boudreau's second run earned him 16.0 points.
On the women's side, the Beavers had athletes in both the 19-22 year old and the 23-29 year old divisions. Avery Ver Wey (Bridgton, Maine) was the lone competitor in the 19-22 year old division, while Angel Brackett (Lincoln, Maine) was the only snowboarder in the 23-29 year old division. Ver Wey's best run scored 17.0 points, while Brackett's best run scored 22.67.
Sunday Freeski
The Beavers had five men compete in the 19-22 year old division. Arden Weaver (Surry, Maine) was the highest-scoring skier for Farmington, registering a course-best 60.67. On his first run, the judges gave Weaver a score of 35.0 before his big 60.67 on his second run. Weaver topped the field to earn first place. Sophomore Maxwell Hamilton (Brunswick, Maine) followed a similar path to Weaver, posting a much better score on his second run than his first. Hamilton scored 52.33 on his second run after scoring 28.00 on his first. The 52.33 for Hamilton was good enough for second place.
Benjamin Taylor (Scarborough, Maine) placed 3rd overall in the 19-22 year old division. His strong second run earned him 40.67 points from the judges.
Zach Chaisson (Scarborough, Maine) and Clay Gregg (Mapleton, Maine) finished 4th and 5th, respectively, narrowly missing out on a podium appearance. Chaisson's second run scored 25.0, while Gregg's best run came in at 21.33.
On the women's side, Farmington had two athletes compete: Natalee McKenzie (Kingfield, Maine) in the 17-18 year old division, and Tegan Andrew (Goffstown, N.H.) in the 19-22 year old division. Each athlete was the only competitor in their respective divisions.
McKenzie had a great second run, with the judges scoring her 50.0, earning first place overall. Andrew also placed first overall, with her first run scoring 34.67. Andrew's second run was similar, as the judges gave her a score of 31.33.
UP NEXT
The freeskiers return to action on Friday, January 17th, in a slopestyle event at Sunday River. Both the freeski and snowboard teams will compete in a rail jam event on January 18th at Lost Valley.
