LAKE PLACID, New York - The University of Maine at Farmington men's freeski team finished off their week at the USCSA National Championships with a fifth-place finish in the Big Air National Championship.
The Big Air event was a new event that was added this year and is specific to the sport of freeski. The competition was different from the rail jam and slopestyle events that consisted of qualifying and finals heats. This event consisted of just a finals heat with all 36 skiers competing for the top spot.
The Beavers had five athletes compete in the event with senior Arden Weaver (Surry, Maine) leading the way. Weaver's best run scored an 83.67 as he placed eighth overall in the event.
The second-highest scoring Beaver was junior Maxwell Hamilton (Brunswick, Maine), whose best run scored a 54. Hamilton placed 17th overall with that score.
First-years Logan Dube (Phillips, Maine) and Max Labonte (Livermore, Maine), as well as senior Clay Gregg (Mapleton, Maine), placed 24th, 26th, and 27th respectively with very similar results. Dube scored a 38.33, Labonte a 37.33, and Gregg a 35.67.
Westminster University's Bram Hikmate topped the leaderboard with a nearly perfect score, scoring a 95 on his best run. Westminster had four skiers place inside the top five, including sweeping the podium with first-, second-, and third-place finishers to be crowned the Big Air National Champions in dominant fashion.
