FRANCONIA, N.H. – Junior
Mathilde Nelles (Malmedy, Belgium) became the first Plymouth State University skier to capture NCAA All-America honors after placing fifth in the women's giant slalom at the National Collegiate Skiing Championships at Mittersill on Cannon Mountain on Wednesday.
Nelles, who has been the Panthers' top skier all year, sat in seventh after her opening run, but was able to move up two spots in the final rankings to post the best individual finish at the championships in school history.
Not to be outdone, junior
Hunter Watson (Ottawa, Ontario) also set a school record as his 11th-place finish was the best men's GS finish at the championships since PSU joined NCAA skiing in 2012.
As a team, the women earned 37 points to finish sixth, while the men also ended up sixth with 40 points.
PSU will be back at Mittersill on Friday (Mar. 12) for the slalom.
Individual Finishes:
| Rank |
Name |
Run One |
Run Two |
Total Time |
| 11 |
Hunter Watson |
1:01.52 (15) |
1:02.96 (8) |
2:04.48 |
| 15 |
Cooper Yates |
1:02.24 (23) |
1:03.08 (10) |
2:05.32 |
| 27 |
Dawson Hill |
1:03.64 (30) |
1:03.94 (25) |
2:07.58 |
Team Scores:
- National Collegiate Skiing Championships (Women's GS)
- University of Colorado (94), Westminster College (79), UVM (59), Montana State (56), Alaska-Anchorage (39), Plymouth State (37), Denver (36), UNH (32), Boston College (25), Utah (23), St. Lawrence (16)
- National Collegiate Skiing Championships (Men's GS)
- Utah (85), Montana State (81), Denver (61), Westminster College (58), UNH (45), Plymouth State (40), UVM (35), Boston College (29), University of Colorado (25), Alaska-Anchorage (24), St. Lawrence (16)
How it Happened (Women's GS):
- Wearing bib #16, Nelles got off to a fantastic start posting a first run time of 1:03.79 to sit in seventh, less than 0.50 seconds out of a podium spot. She tore through the course on her second run, notching the sixth-fastest time of the group, to finish in a combined 2:08.96.
- Her fifth-place finish is the highest for any Panther skier (male or female) in either discipline at the National Championships since Plymouth State joined NCAA skiing in 2012.
- Senior Gigi Quimby (Pepperell, Mass.) posted a first run time of 1:05.77 to rank 24th, before moving up one spot after her second run. Her overall time of 2:13.06 was good enough for 23rd.
- Sophomore Carmela Olmo (Val D'Aran, Spain) was strong out of the start of her opening run but missed a gate to post a DNF.
How it Happened (Men's GS):
- Watson put down a solid first run to hold 15th after a time of 1:01.52. He flew down the hill for the eighth fastest second run to move all the way up to 11th, just one spot out of All-America honors, with a combined 2:04.48.
- Watson's 11th-place was five spots better than his own previous school record set just last year.
- Senior Cooper Yates (Richmond, British Columbia) was right behind Watson in 23rd after an opening run of 1:02.24. He also came out with a huge second run, the tenth fastest of the day, to jump up to 15th with a combined 2:05.32.
- Freshman Dawson Hill (Calgary, Alberta) was undeterred in his first NCAA appearance, finishing 27th in 2:07.75.
Up Next:
- All six racers return to Mittersill on Friday (Mar. 12) to compete in the slalom. First runs are set for 9:00 a.m. (men) and 10:00 a.m. (women), with second runs scheduled for noon and 1:00 p.m. All races can be streamed live at ncaa.com/liveschedule.
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