BEND, Oregon – University of Maine at Farmington freeskier Natalee McKenzie (Kingfield, Maine) was crowned the Freeski Rail Jam National Champion after earning a judges' score of 93 points in the final round, surpassing Josephine Rich of Liberty University.
Yesterday marked day one for women's freeski and snowboard competitions, with teams competing in the Rail Jam. On the freeski side, the Beavers finished 6th overall, accumulating 58 place points. In snowboarding, the Beavers placed 11th overall, totaling 63 place points.
In freeski, the event began with two heats, each consisting of 18 athletes. Originally, the top seven from each heat were set to advance to the finals. However, the event was ultimately conducted as a single-run competition. McKenzie dominated her heat, scoring a 93 to claim the National Champion title. Her teammate, Tegan Andrew (Goffstown, N.H.), finished 10th overall, earning a judges' score of 40.
McKenzie made history as the first University of Maine at Farmington female freeski athlete to win a National Championship. The last UMF female to achieve this feat was Whitney LeMay '19, who won gold in snowboard giant slalom in 2019.
On the snowboarding side, Avery Ver Wey (Bridgton, Maine) and Angel Brackett (Lincoln, Maine) placed 19th and 21st, respectively. Ver Wey completed her run with a judges' score of 36.33, while Brackett earned 31.67.
UP NEXT
McKenzie and Andrew return to the hill tomorrow at 12:00 PM EST for the Freeski Slopestyle National Championship. The Snowboard Slopestyle National Championship will take place on Friday at 12:00 PM EST, with Ver Wey and Brackett competing for Farmington.
