Early season training has gone well for the Clarkson University Alpine Ski team, as the Golden Knights prepare to once again challenge for regular podium finishes in the MacConnell Division, USCSA Eastern Regionals, and at the USCSA National Championships in 2025.The Green and Gold men have enviable depth with enough talented skiers to score three […]
Early season training has gone well for the Clarkson University Alpine Ski team, as the Golden Knights prepare to once again challenge for regular podium finishes in the MacConnell Division, USCSA Eastern Regionals, and at the USCSA National Championships in 2025.The Green and Gold men have enviable depth with enough talented skiers to score three teams. Graduate student Aristotle Ninos was 28th in the slalom at the USCSA Nationals last year and was 72nd overall despite skiing in just that event. Seniors Josh Jusiak and Zach Zientko have been regular contributors for the Knights over the years. Jusiak was 14th in the giant slalom at the USCSA Eastern Regionals and was 40th in the slalom at the nationals, while Zientko has twice participated at nationals, including a 14th-place finish in the giant slalom in 2022 and a 43rd-place showing in the slalom at the abbreviated 2023 nationals.Clarkson lost a few key skiers due to graduation, including Sam Hayden, who finished as the national runner-up a year ago. The Golden Knights’ men have finished in the top 10 at the USCSA Nationals every year since 2007, including a third-place finish among 27 teams last year near Lake Placid. Fortunately, most of the team has returned with a handful of recruits to help bolster the prospects of another shot at a national title in 2025.Clarkson’s first-year collegians on the men’s side should also compete immediately for spots on the first and second teams. Edouard Brochu hopes to follow in the footsteps of Quebec natives that were standouts for the Knights like Thomas Daigle (2018-2021), JP Phaneuf (2009-2012), and Cedrik Proteau-Dubois (2009-2012), who all were top skiers for the Knights in their day. The early results have been impressive for Brochu and so have the finishes of Colin Cotter. Those two as well as Marco Cane may see their names near the top of the standings regularly for the Knights.Clarkson’s women failed to place last year at the nationals due to a number of slips on the slopes, but the team returns a strong group in 2025. Hannah Goetz missed out on the USCSA Regionals and Nationals due to injury, but has served as an impressive one-two punch with classmate Elyse Donaghue. In her first collegiate season, Goetz finished third in both the slalom and giant slalom at the USCSA Eastern Regionals, while last year Donaghue became the first female skier at Clarkson to win a race since 2016. Fellow juniors Kylie Brino and Kyla Butler have always provided steady performances to keep Clarkson in the hunt at MacConnell Division races. Brino finished 51st in the slalom at the USCSA Nationals last year, while Butler was 63rd in the same event. Each were regularly in the top 25 at the end of the season in the MacConnell Division events.Guided by first-year coach Lorenzo Mencaccini, last year’s USCSA Individual National Champion, and assistant Christopher Kerven, the Green and Gold open the season in Ludlow, VT at Okemo Mountain Resort on Sunday and Monday.The Knights will have more depth this year as the team added several newcomers to the program. Junior transfer Ariana Welter brings experience from St. Michael’s and could be in the mix regularly, as will first-year collegians Kirsten Iles, Caroline Meneely, and Lily Rogers. Junior Reed Martin was one of the top skiers for the Knights last year, finishing in the top 25 in both the giant slalom and slalom at the USCSA Nationals, placing 17th overall. Martin was in the top 20 in four regular season races in the MacConnell Division as well. Classmate Adin Freeman, Braden Kruk, Noah Marino, Evan Phelps, and Cole Rodman have all shown flashes of brilliance in their time at Clarkson as well and will vie for spots on the first team as well. Sophomore Jackson Knobloch was in the top 30 in both of his races at the USCSA Nationals and ended up in 15th overall in first taste of the national stage. Classmate Pedro Gonzalez was in the top 45 in two events a year ago, too, both FIS races with larger fields.
