The Medway/Millis/Holliston/Norton co-op team won its first MIAA girls' Alpine ski championship at Wachusett Mountain, edging out Wellesley and Lincoln-Sudbury. St. John's Prep secured its fifth straight boys' title with a dominant performance. The event featured slalom and giant slalom races amid challenging weather.
The MIAA Alpine Ski Championships took place Wednesday at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, Massachusetts, where high school teams competed in slalom and giant slalom events.
In the girls' division, the Medway/Millis/Holliston/Norton co-op captured its inaugural title with a cumulative time of 5 minutes, 44.22 seconds, finishing ahead of Wellesley at 5:47.03 and Lincoln-Sudbury at 5:47.75. The team, consisting of one skier from each school—all seniors—ensured every racer placed in the top 50 of the 142-skier field. Charlotte Richmond of Norton finished sixth in slalom at 52.23 seconds, while Maggie Morton of Holliston placed 16th in giant slalom at 58.98 seconds. The other members were Keira Davis of Millis and Elle Heiden of Medway.
Medway coach Jeff Rozak praised the group's dedication: “There was no school [Tuesday] and we weren’t allowed to practice, but a few of [the girls] got together and free-skied here. They’re incredibly dedicated, they’re driven, and they’re a great group of girls. We’re proud of them.” Charlotte Richmond added, “It’s been awesome and it’s been a long time coming. We’re all super proud of ourselves and the work that we’ve put in. We’re just really happy.”
Individual highlights included Addie Loomis of Mohawk Trail winning giant slalom in 56.12 seconds and Jillian Bradford of Tahanto taking slalom in 50.15 seconds.
For the boys, St. John's Prep claimed its fifth consecutive championship with a time of 5:32.51, surpassing Concord-Carlisle (5:36.25) and Lenox (5:43.18). The Eagles had three finishers in the top five of giant slalom: Victor Barnas second at 57.79 seconds, and Colton Friedlander and Andrew Pellegrini tied for fourth at 57.95 seconds. In slalom, Theo Remington of Concord-Carlisle won at 48.87 seconds, with St. John's Prep's Owen McLain second at 49.70 seconds.
Coach Tim Broderick noted, “Five of our six scorers were different people, so it was a real team effort.” Owen McLain commented on the conditions: “Today there was a lot of weather involved in the giant slalom. It was about being focused, having good fundamentals, and driving hard.”
Lenox skiers performed well locally, with Oliver Kirby placing fourth in slalom and Owen Tanner ninth. A midweek storm had shifted the event from its original Berkshire East venue to Wachusett.