And, that was good for the team, which had several podium finishes at the Air Force Academy Invitational competition held the weekend of Jan. 9 at Snow Mountain Ranch, just outside of Winter Park, Colo.
Western competes in the Rocky Mountain conference of the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA).
“The venue was great and the tracks were very firm,” Coach Duncan Callahan said.
Callahan began coaching the Nordic team late last season, which is part of the Club Sports program at Western.
He liked what he saw at the Snow Mountain Ranch.
“Our team is showing a lot of promise,” Callahan said.
On the women’s side, senior Brittany Perkins had two podium finishes, taking second place in the skate and third in the classic race. Sophomore Ali Gulick took eleventh place in both the skate and the classic.
For the men’s team, senior Tom Sunderland and freshman Chris Lange took second and fourth place in the skate and fourth and second respectively in the classic. Sophomore Sage Smith took ninth place in the skate and the classic.
“It was great for the team to come together and race, despite the fact that the race was the weekend before school was in session,” Gulick said. “Everyone gave their best efforts, and I was really excited to see Brittany, Tom and Chris have podium finishes.”
“Our team did really well this weekend,” Smith said. “We were a little short on members, so in the future we should do even better.”
Up next for the team are Grand Mesa Races the weekend of Jan. 30. The Western State alpine team will begin their season Jan. 23 in Steamboat Springs.
