CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's alpine team kicked off the USCSA Eastern Regional Championships in phenomenal fashion, placing fourth overall in the giant slalom on Saturday afternoon.
The event allows institutions to bring just five skiers, with the top three times from each team counting toward the team's overall finish. The three Beavers whose times counted combined to post a total time of 5:14.98, less than a second and a half out of second place.
The Beavers were led on Saturday by senior Lance Dolan (Coplin Plantation, Maine), who found himself inside the top ten in the loaded field. Dolan finished his two runs with a combined time of 1:43.82. He sat in eighth place following his first run, which was clocked at 50.73 seconds, and completed his second run in 53.09 seconds.
Senior Lake Lindelof (Belfast, Maine) had his best race of the season on Saturday, finishing as the second Beaver counted toward the team score. Lindelof placed 12th overall with a total time of 1:45.25 across his two runs. He finished his first run in 52.39 seconds before delivering the eighth-fastest second run at 52.86 seconds.
Fellow senior Sam Roy (Frenchville, Maine) secured the third scoring spot for the Beavers, placing 15th overall and less than a second behind Lindelof. Roy completed his first run in 53.05 seconds and improved to 52.86 seconds in his second run, matching Lindelof's time. He finished with a combined time of 1:45.91.
First-year Magnus Riggs (Fletcher, Vt.) and Declan Varnerin (Stow, Mass.) were the other two Beavers who competed on Saturday. Both delivered strong performances, finishing inside the top 25. Riggs was just one tenth of a second behind Roy, completing his two runs in 1:46.01. Varnerin placed 23rd overall with a total time of 1:48.08.
Babson College earned the top spot as a team on Saturday, with its top three skiers all placing inside the top five.
UP NEXT
The Beavers return to Sugarloaf on Sunday for day two of the Eastern Regional Championships. Sunday's event will be the slalom.
