CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine – Sophomore Megan Heckey (Québec City, Québec) posted a career-best eighth-place finish as the Plymouth State University alpine ski teams battled difficult conditions to open the 2026 season with the slalom at the Colby Carnival at Sugarloaf Mountain on Friday.

 
Facing frigid temperatures, gusty winds, and challenging snow conditions, Heckey ranked 11th after her opening run and jumped up to eighth in the final standings. Senior Gill Hamilton (Ottawa, Ontario) finished 22nd.
 
On the men's side, senior Vincent Fosser (Helsingborg, Sweden) was the lone Panther to complete two runs.
 
The women were 11th as a team, while the men were tied for 12th.
 
 
The Basics:

• Colby Carnival (Men's Slalom)
  • Highest finish: 35th (Fosser)

 

• Colby Carnival (Women's Slalom)
  • Highest finish: 8th (Heckey)
  • Top-10 finishes: Heckey

How it Happened (Men's Slalom):

• More than one-third of the competitors failed to finish their opening runs, as the challenging conditions resulted in 33 DNFs in the morning.
• Sophomore Alvin Guteland Beiming (Södertälje, Sweden) was PSU's top finisher after the first run, ranking 24th with a time of 42.52 seconds.
• Freshman Harry Duncan (Ramsdell, United Kingdom) was within striking distance after a first run of 42.86 seconds to rank 34th, while classmate Emile Prouvost (Charleston, S.C.) was 45th with a time of 43.54 seconds. Fosser was 54th in 43.98 seconds.
• Only Fosser was able to survive his second run, getting down the hill in 50.61 seconds to finish 35th overall in 1:34.59.
• Freshmen Ryan Wagner (Ottawa, Ontario), Charlie Howe (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Hjalmar Nyman (Stockholm, Sweden) were unable to complete their first runs.

How it Happened (Women's Slalom):

• Heckey and Hamilton were the lone Panthers to conquer the challenging conditions in the opening run, getting down the hill in 46.64 seconds and 47.56 seconds to rank 11th and 16th, respectively.
• Heckey followed with another strong showing in the afternoon, jumping into the top 10 with a combined time of 1:33.05.
• Hamilton ended up 22nd in 1:36.07.
• Sophomores Olivia Andersson (Vaxholm, Sweden) and Marlene Sophie Krohn (Drammen, Norway) along with freshman Erin Husken (North Vancouver, British Columbia) were unable to finish their first runs.
• Sophomore Laurence Bouchard (Québec City, Québec) and freshman Märta Hahlin (Arvidsjaur, Sweden) were disqualified during their opening runs.
• More than half (47 of 83 racers) failed to complete two runs.

 
Up Next:

• Plymouth State returns for the giant slalom races on Saturday (Jan. 17).