Men's and Women's Skiing

January 14, 2010

Skiing To Kick Off 2010 Season On Friday At Saint Lawrence Carnival


COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's and women's skiing teams open the 2010 season this weekend by taking part in the Saint Lawrence University Carnival. The two-day event kicks off the six-week Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) season, which culminates with the EISA Championship at Middlebury College Feb. 26-27.

The Purple Knights feature seven seniors, including four alpine skiers and three Nordic skiers. On the alpine side, sixth-year head coach Warren Palmer brings back seniors Peter Benedetto (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Northwood School [Iona Prep]), Brad Harden (McConnellsville, N.Y./Northwood School), Andrew Nault (Stratton, Vt./Stratton Mountain School) and Kris Ochs (Dover, Mass./Boston College HS).

Harden became the first Purple Knight in seven years to qualify for the NCAA Championship last year, as he placed 30th in the giant slalom and 19th in the slalom at the NCAAs.

Ninth-year Nordic head coach Joe Connelly, meanwhile, will be led by seniors Lauren Fereshetian (Turner, Maine/Leavitt Area), Micho Pilotte (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) and Maia Titcomb (Georgetown, Maine/Morse). Fereshetian, the squad's captain, is the lone returning senior, but the 15-member Nordic squad is the deepest in Connelly's tenure as head coach.

The Purple Knights will host the second meet of the EISA season Jan. 22-23. The alpine ski teams will compete at Smuggler's Notch in Jeffersonville, and the Nordic teams will meet at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington, with events commencing at 9 a.m. both days.

The 2010 NCAA Skiing Championships will be held Mar. 10-13 in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

##PURPLEKNIGHTS###