The men's ski team headed to Regionals this weekend at Waterville Valley, N.H. with one goal: qualifying for Nationals. With slots only available to the top four regional teams, the Jumbos knew they would have to race their absolute best to be among them.
But when it came time to put that mentality into action, Tufts came up short.
"We thought we had to ski a little beyond our ability if we were going to make Nationals," senior captain Andrew Benson said. "Everyone was trying to ski as fast as possible and that resulted in a lot of falls and [disqualifications]."
On Sunday the Jumbos competed in the giant slalom portion of the weekend and managed a sixth-place finish. Benson led the team with a remarkable 12th-place individual performance, despite falling and having to hike on both runs. After hiking on the first run and remaining just 31 hundredths of a second out of the lead, the captain looked sure to win the race outright on his second run but fell just three gates from the end of the course.
"On Sunday I skied pretty much the best I ever have with the exception of those two falls," Benson said.
Sophomores Greg Hering and Pat Tonelli rounded out the times with 29th- and 32nd-place finishes, respectively. Freshmen Brian Bresee and Thomas Valentin both failed to finish one of their two runs on the day.
"It was an incredibly difficult course," sophomore women's captain Nicole Fontaine said. "There were a lot of DNFs [did not finish] and hiking across the board. It was incredibly turny, and it was bullet-proof ice."
On Saturday the Jumbos suffered a worse run on the slalom course, as falls and DNFs dominated the results among their top skiers. Benson did not finish his second run and Tonelli allegedly straddled one of the final gates, though Tufts debated and unsuccessfully challenged the call.
Hering took first for the team with a 24th-place finish overall, the first time he has been Tufts' top skier this season.
"I thought Greg did a great job," Benson said. "He was really the only one who got the strategy down and finished two solid races on both days. We were all looking to do that, and he was the one who executed. It was unfortunate the rest of the team didn't ski quite like him."
Despite hiking on his second run, Bresee managed the team's second-best finish, taking 26th overall. The final time came from Valentin, who also had to hike and came in 42nd place.
"It was just kind of bad luck," Benson said. "I think adrenaline probably had something to do with it. I really think that everyone was prepared and it could have gone either way; I guess that's why you race."
Fontaine was the sole representative from the women's team to punch her ticket to Regionals after earning an individual bid, given to the best racer whose team is not invited.
Fontaine suffered a similar fate as the men's team, falling twice in slalom on Saturday and finishing a disappointing 45th overall. On Sunday, however, she put together a much stronger showing in giant slalom, taking 25th place, good enough for 33rd overall in Regionals.
"I skied a pretty mediocre first run," Fontaine said. "I felt like I wasn't going after it like I usually do. The second run I got a little more aggressive."
Alhough the results at Regionals may not reflect the racing potential the Jumbos showed this year, the season standings speak for themselves.
When the final Thompson Division results came out last week, the Jumbos had an impressive four racers in the top 20. Benson won the league outright, a feat he has accomplished three out of his four years at Tufts, getting second place in his sophomore year behind a fellow Jumbo, now-junior Hans Tiefenthaler.
The rest of the Tufts squad included Bresee netting a No. 9 ranking, a remarkable feat for a freshman. Tonelli came in 18th and Hering took 20th.
As a team, the Tufts men finished second behind Castleton and the women placed fifth. As the star women's racer for Tufts, Fontaine finished the season ranked third overall in the Thompson Division.
After his last time racing for Tufts, Benson expressed his happiness with the team this winter.
"As a whole I was really proud of everyone," Benson said. "Everybody came together and gave it their all. I am impressed with our freshmen, particularly Brian, Tom and Arlin [Ladue]. Pat also improved a lot over last year and developed as a skier."
