After turning heads all season in eastern ski races, junior captain Andrew Benson extended his domination to the national level.
Benson flew out to Winter Park, Colo. March 6 to begin training for the United States College Ski Association Nationals. By Sunday morning, he had picked up dual All-American distinctions, finishing in the top 15 in the giant slalom and overall.
On March 7, Benson practiced alongside the horde of national-caliber skiers to get a feel of the mountain for the giant slalom race the next day. Despite the flat light and periods of snow, Benson started off Nationals on the right foot, clocking in with two impressive giant slalom times, good enough to land him in 12th place out of the approximately 100 racers present. The top 15 finish also gave him the pleasant assurance that he would be All-American.
"I knew he was a solid skier, but to come in the top 15 in a national race with guys who have been training at big mountain ski academies their entire lives is really amazing," freshman Pat Tonelli said.
Even with this assurance, Benson had a strong showing in Saturday's slalom races despite the continued snow and difficult lighting. He finished 20th in the pack, with a combined time just over four seconds behind the winner.
"I am happy with the way I skied, but I would like to have finished better in the slalom," Benson said.
After the race, times were compiled for all four runs and the top 15 racers were determined based on a point system. With his combined time, Benson came in at tenth, making him an overall All-American.
There was certainly no shortage of talent, as the race drew competitors from across the nation and even abroad. Colleges in the Rocky Mountain area occasionally recruit racers from foreign national ski teams to enroll and ski for their schools. The winner of the slalom race this year was Mickey Ross, who now attends Sierra Nevada College near Lake Tahoe but last year raced for the New Zealand Olympic team.
In addition to racing against some of the top skiers in the world, Benson had to meet the challenge of racing on Western snow, which requires a drastically different technique than skiing in the East. While Eastern ice requires racers to dig in their edges hard on every turn, Western snow tends to allow the edges to grip much more firmly and therefore requires a different racing style.
"I went to a training camp at Copper, Colorado over Thanksgiving, and that really gave me an advantage racing on the Western snow," Benson said.
This was the second straight year that Benson received an initiation to USCSA Nationals. As the Tufts ski team has not qualified for Nationals either of the past two years, Benson's selection is all the more impressive, meaning he was the best individual skier in the Thompson Division not on one of the National teams.
His sophomore year visit was not nearly as successful as this year's as he took falls in both the giant slalom and slalom races. Despite his lack of success in the event last year, the fact that he was invited to the event gives him the chance to make national appearances three years in a row, a feat rarely accomplished by a racer who does not go to the competition with his team.
Benson looks to improve his times on the slopes next season.
"From collegiate Nationals the best overall finisher who is a U.S. citizen is selected to race in U.S. Nationals with professional skiers," Benson said. "My goal next year is to be that No. 1 U.S. finisher."
Benson's return next year will be highly anticipated not only for the feats he can accomplish individually but also for his leadership on the ski team.
"Training with [Benson] is amazing because he has so much experience and it is really helpful having someone with that much knowledge about the sport to point out the little things you do wrong," Tonelli said.
