Alpine Skiing at Proctor Ski Area
Saturday, January 14 | 9:30 a.m. | Slalom
Sunday, January 15 | 9:30 a.m. | Slalom
Andover, N.H.
WHAT TO KNOW
• The Babson men's and women's alpine ski teams open the 2023 season with a pair of MacConnell Division slalom races at Proctor Ski Area on Saturday and Sunday.
• This weekend's carnival kicks off the first of five straight weekends of competition for the Beavers against their MacConnell Division rivals.
LOOKING BACK ON 2022
• Under the direction of head coach Joe Harty, the Beavers once again achieved regional and national success at the USCSA championships.
• The Babson women finished second in the MacConnell Division standings at the USCSA Eastern Regionals before placing a program-best third in the combined standings at nationals.
• The Babson men followed up a second-place showing in the league standings by tying for first at regionals and then matched the top finish in school history by coming in third at the USCSA National Championships at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, N.Y.
LAST TIME AT PROCTOR
• Both the Babson men and women finished second in back-to-back slalom races at Proctor to open the 2022 season last January.
• Junior Caroline Haaijer posted a pair of top-five results, which included her first career victory in the second race of the weekend, while senior Lauren Abdow was the runner-up in the opening race.
• Juniors Kyle Wolff (7th, 5th), Ryan Beardsley (8th, 6th) and sophomore Zach Carpenter (10th, 8th) all recorded consecutive top-10 finishes to lead the Babson men.
SCOUTING THE BABSON WOMEN
• The Beavers return seven of their top eight skiers highlighted by the trio of Abdow, Haaijer and sophomore Amalie Alkier.
• Abdow finished third in the MacConnell Division regular season standings, was first in the combined standings at regionals and earned the second All-America award of her career by coming in 10th at nationals, while Haaijer followed up a terrific regular season by earning All-America honors in the slalom, giant slalom and combined at the USCSA National Championships.
• Alkier also claimed All-America accolades in the GS and combined standings with top-15 finishes at nationals.
• Junior Caroline Johnson finished eighth at the regional championships and 17th at nationals, while Maeve Fiske-Mercer posted three top-25 results during the regular season.
SCOUTING THE BABSON MEN
• The Beavers bring back six of their top seven skiers and nine veterans in all from its successful 2022 squad.
• Beardsley (4th), junior Lucas Wiacek (5th), Wolff (7th) and senior Zach Roman (9th) all finished among the top 10 in the MacConnell Division regular season standings and Roman (GS), Wolff (GS) and Beardsley (combined) earned All-America honors at nationals.
• Wiacek recorded a team-best six top-five results in 10 regular season races, Wolff finished among the top-10 eight times and senior Jack Beney posted nine top-15 finishes and also came in 10th at the USCSA Eastern Regional Championships.
• Carpenter also opened last season with five consecutive top-10 finishes before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.
TRADITION OF SUCCESS
• The Babson men have made 14 consecutive USCSA National Championship appearances and boast four top-seven finishes in five trips going back to 2017.
• The Babson women have made six consecutive appearances at nationals and have finished no worse than a tie for fifth place during this run.
MACCONNELL DIVISION STORYLINES
• The Babson men own three straight runner-up league finishes and have placed either second or third in nine consecutive seasons going back to 2013.
• The Babson women have finished second in two consecutive seasons and have come in no worse than third going back to 2016.
• The Beavers came in second to both the Castleton men and women last winter.
• In addition to opening the season at Proctor, this year's schedule features stops at West Mountain, Whiteface Mountain, Pat's Peak, Sugarloaf and Willard Mountain, where the Green and White has never before competed.
UP NEXT
• The Beavers travel to West Mountain in Queensbury, N.Y., for their first giant slalom race of the year on February 20 and will compete in the slalom at Willard Mountain in Greenwich, N.Y., on February 21.
