Billy Warren, Amelia Morse top local finishers at PVIAC Alpine Ski Individual Championships

CHARLEMONT — Four different Hampshire County schools competed at the PVIAC Alpine Ski Individual Championships at Berkshire East Mountain Resort on Tuesday.

The mountain exhibited great conditions throughout the day, with a high of 34 degrees and sunshine helping to create a smooth and soft surface for both the slalom and giant slalom events.

Billy Warren headlined the day for programs in the area, finishing in third place overall on the boys’ side for Hampshire Regional. The junior had the fourth-quickest time in the slalom at 31.98, along with the third-ranked giant slalom time at 40.00 for a combined performance of 1:11.98.

“[Warren’s] done really well,” Raiders head coach Jane O’Riordan said. “There were a few times he really went for it and didn’t make it through the bottom part of the course, but overall, he’s a really good racer.”

With Tuesday being an individual meet, skiers could be around their teammates for the majority of the day. This, combined with the fact that their performances didn’t affect their team’s records, gave each racer the ability to let loose.

Understanding this, the main goal for most of the athletes was to have fun while seeing if they could come away with a personal best time, if possible. Warren made sure to enjoy himself, ending the afternoon happy with how he performed on the mountain.

“There’s no pressure,” Warren said. “It’s all for fun. Everyone’s here to just have fun, and that’s what it’s all about… I think we’ve gotten a lot closer [as a team]. We’ve had a lot of fun on the mountain, off the mountain, the bus rides. Everyone loves free skiing together.”

Elliot Scully-Henry was the only other skier for Hampshire to crack the top 25 on the boys’ side, finishing the day in 20th overall with a 37.71 in the SL and a 49.50 in the GS for a total time of 1:27.21.

Maddie Soares narrowly made her way into the top 25 for the Raiders’ girls, earning the 25th spot with a combined 1:34.42, including a 35.72 in the SL and a 58.70 in the GS.

Amherst proved to be a team to look out for on the girls’ side, with two finishes within the top 10. Amelia Morse and Maya Phillips have each been staples of the team so far this season, again showing off their skills on Tuesday.

Morse led the way for her team with a fourth-place finish on the day, nabbing third place in the SL at 32.07 and sixth place in the GS at 45.12 for a combined time of 1:17.19.

“It was just kind of fun to have a race that didn’t really count for anything,” Morse said. “So I was just working on, really going, and not really holding back much, which I think worked.”

Phillips was close behind her teammate in seventh place overall, just over three seconds behind Morse with a 1:20.33 combined time made up from a 33.05 in the SL and 47.28 in the GS.

Amherst had three other racers inside the top 50 on Tuesday, with the team sticking together and leaning into the fun aspects of the day. With a bunch of the athletes wearing costumes and showing off their personalities, it gave the Hurricanes the ability to continue to grow their bond with each other.

“It was fun to goof around with the team and dress up and stuff, which a lot of people do,” Morse said. “In my opinion, individuals is more of a team race, just because it’s not at night, and you have the whole day to hang out with people. So it’s really nice just to be with your team all day and get to skip school too.”

The Amherst boys cracked the top 30, with Finn Zaklanovic clocking in a 1:30.42 overall, made up by a 37.19 SL and 53.23 GS.

“The conditions were good [Tuesday], so people were excited about skiing as best they could for the day, and seeing if they could beat their best time for the year,” Hurricanes coach Simon Leutz said.

Northampton had a nice day on the girls’ side as well, with three top 25 performances. Greta Lepore led the way with an eighth-place effort, clocking her SL at 34.20 and her GS at 46.24 for a combined 1:20.44.

Chrystal Eichwald-Hoopes and Simone Pagar made up the 23rd and 24th spots, respectively, for the Blue Devils. Eichwald-Hoopes tallied a 36.83 SL and a 55.77 GS, totaling 1:32.60, while Pagar earned a 36.88 SL and 56.66 GS, combining for 1:33.54.

Northampton’s boys were represented by Jasper Tuck, taking home 31st place on the day with a 35.59 SL and 54.97 GS, adding up to a combined 1:30.56.

For PVCICS, James Janssen led the way with a 15th-place finish for the boys. His 35.11 in the SL and 48.72 in the GS helped make for an impressive day all around with a combined time of 1:23.83.

Alexandra Hyrne led the girls’ side, coming in 32nd place at 1:38.30 overall with a 39.46 SL and a 58.84 GS.

Up next for the skiers that qualified over the course of the season is the MIAA Alpine Ski Championships, taking place on Tuesday, Feb 24, right back at Berkshire East.