Alpine Skiing at Okemo Mountain
Sunday-Monday, January 12-13 | 9:30 p.m.
Ludlow, Vt.
WHAT TO KNOW
• The Babson men's and women's alpine ski teams are set to open the 2025 campaign with a pair of MacConnell Division races at Okemo Mountain on Sunday and Monday.
• The Beavers will compete in a pair of giant slalom runs on Sunday and two slalom runs on Monday.
• This weekend's carnival kicks off five straight weekends of competition for Babson and its MacConnell Division rivals.
LOOKING BACK ON 2024
• Both Babson teams produced strong results last winter culminating with appearances in the USCSA National Championships.
• The women finished second in the MacConnell Division and were the runner-up at the eastern regional championships before matching the best finish in program history by placing third at nationals.
• On the men's side, the Beavers followed up a second-place finish in the division standings by capturing their fifth USCSA Eastern Regional Championships title since 2013 before placing 24th at nationals.
THE BEAVERS' NEW LEADER
•
Brett Batchelder was hired as the program's new head coach last month after serving as an assist coach at the Noble & Greenough School since 2017.
• Batchelder competed for the U.S. Ski Team at the World Cup in 1988 and 1989 before serving as the men's B team coach for the French National Team in 1991 and coaching for the U.S. men's team at the 1992 Albertville Olympics and the 1993 World Championships.
ABOUT THE BABSON WOMEN
• The Beavers bring back three All-MacConnell Division performers and of their top eight competitors form last year's squad that recorded four victories and five runner-up finishes in 10 league races.
• Sophomore
Sonnie Travis, the reigning MacConnell Division Rookie of the Year, finished second in the Division standings and earned USCSA All-America honors in the slalom, while classmate
Julia Wiacek finished seventh in the league and third at regionals before claiming All-America recognition in the slalom, the GS and the combined standings with top-10 finishes at nationals.
• Sophomore
Ava Butler placed ninth in the MacConnell Division and garnered All-America accolades in the combined standings after finishing 20th in the giant slalom and 21st in the slalom at the USCSA National Championships.
• Sophomore
Riley Jerome posted six top-15 finishes last winter, senior
Amelie Alkier, a 2022 All-American in the GS and combined, recorded two top-five results in four starts in 2024, and classmate
Alli Messier recorded three top-20 marks last season.
ABOUT THE BABSON MEN
• The Beavers return five skiers, three of which competed at last year's national championships from a team that recorded two victories and seven runner-up finishes in 10 MacConnell Division races in 2024.
• Senior
Zach Carpenter returned from injury to earn his first All-MacConnell Division award thanks to seven top-15 results a season ago, while sophomore
Sebastian Sheppard garnered all-league recognition before finishing 22nd in the slalom at the USCSA National Championships.
• Junior
Finn Horsley placed 16th in the league standings and earned All-America recognition for the first time with his 13th-place showing in the slalom at nationals.
• Sophomore transfer
Mads Fondevik Syversen from Rocky Mountain placed fifth in the slalom and eighth in the combined standings at nationals last season, while junior
Elliot Perretta finished eighth in the MacConnell Division standings and 21st in the GS at nationals last winter at Vermont State Castleton.
TRADITION OF SUCCESS
• The Babson women have posted eight consecutive top-three finishes in the MacConell Division regular standings and at the USCSA regional championships, and have finished no worse than fifth at nationals going back to 2016.
• The Babson men own 11 straight top-three results in league competition and seven consecutive top-three finishes at regionals. They have also finished sixth or better in three of their last seven trips to nationals.
UP NEXT
• The Beavers travel to Andover, N.H., for a pair of slalom races at Proctor Ski Area on January 17-18.
