Skiing Opens 2010 Season With Strong Showing At Colby-Sawyer Carnival

FRIDAY RESULTS | SATURDAY RESULTS

NEWBURY, N.H. -- The Babson College alpine ski teams opened up their 2010 season at the Colby-Sawyer Carnival at Mount Sunapee this weekend, where they competed in back-to-back giant slalom competitions on Friday and Saturday. The men's team placed fourth out of nine squads on both days, while the Babson women finished ninth out of 10 teams in both races.

On Friday, juniors Max Winthrop (Avon, Conn.) and Keith Vella (Sussex, N.J.) both cracked the top 20 to lead the men's squad, finishing just 0.19 seconds apart in 18th and 19th place, respectively. Senior captain Connor Lemenze (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) was close behind in 21st place, followed by first-year Richard Beneduci (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) in 37th. Rounding out the Beavers' lineup were first-year Scott Kern (Basking Ridge, N.J.) in 42nd place, first-year Ryan Drake (West Simsbury, Conn.) in 49th, junior Enrico Palmerino (West Brookfield, Mass.) in 56th, and sneior captain Chris Jacobs (Rochester, N.Y.) in 64th.

On the women's side, junior captain Alyssa Sullivan (Tiverton, R.I.) finished 23rd overall in Friday's race, while first-year Franny Robertson (Douglas, Wyo.) placed 29th in her collegiate debut.

Saturday featured another fantastic performance from Winthrop, who recorded the best finish of his Babson career when he placed 11th overall. Vella once again followed in 22nd place, and Lemenze came in 28th. Beneduci finished 37th for the second straight day, Kern took 44th, and Pamlerino placed 51st.

For the women, junior captain Alexis Burton (Salt Lake City, Utah) bounced back from a botched second run on Friday to record one of her finest collegiate giant slalom performances, as she placed 12th overall - her best GS effort since January 18, 2008. She was followed by fellow co-captain Sullivan, who placed 31st.