JEFFERSONVILLE, Vt. - Seven Saint Michael's College Alpine skiers were among the top 22 in the giant slalom on Friday during the opening day of Alpine races at the Saint Michael's Carnival at Smugglers' Notch Resort. The Nordic portion was completed last weekend, and the final day of the carnival takes place with slalom events on Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. Between Alpine and Nordic, the Purple Knights are ninth among 15 schools with 268 points, within 38 of Bowdoin College and 61 behind Bates College.
During the first Alpine races at Smugglers' Notch on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) circuit since 2015, 11 of the 12 Purple and Gold competitors qualified for a second run on Friday, while nine completed both runs. The men took third with 84 points, and the women were fifth at 81, just eight short of Middlebury College and 15 behind the University of New Hampshire.
Junior Guillaume Grand (La Plagne, France/Lycée Général Ferrié) led the men by tying for fourth in the GS with a two-run time of 1:47.75, coming within 0.15 seconds of third place and a podium finish. Senior Mathias Grimsrud (Stabekk, Norway/Donski Alpine) was 20th, a career best for the GS, after starting 65th. His time of 1:49.73 left him only 0.33 seconds short of 15th place in a competitive field. Sophomore Zach Bouchard (Merrimac, Mass./Gould Academy) took 21st at 1:49.74 after starting 48th, and senior Danny Duffy (Warren, Vt./Green Mountain Valley School) placed 22nd at 1:50.08 after beginning the day as the 51st starter.
Sophomore Anna Willassen (Jar, Norway/Persbråten VGS) was the top Purple and Gold woman during the GS in 13th place at 1:53.82, leaving her 0.49 seconds outside the top 10. Senior Meggane Grand (La Plagne, France/Lycée des métiers Ambroise Croizat) was 17th in 1:54.51 after starting 24th, and sophomore Emilia Laffin (Chamonix, France/Lycée du Mont-Blanc René Dayve) took 22nd at 1:55.51. Laffin was only 0.17 seconds short of the top 20 after starting 44th. Junior Clara Lopez Costa (Barcelona, Spain/Green Mountain Valley School) was 29th in 1:56.26, and sophomore Erin Spence (Aspen, Colo./Aspen) nabbed 31st in 1:56.36 after starting 51st. Spence was 0.02 ticks behind the 30th-place skier, the last to earn NCAA Championship points.