LAKE PLACID, NY – The University of Maine at Farmington men’s freeski team placed sixth in the team combined standings, while individual women’s Nordic competitor Mullein Francis finished 27th overall, during last week’s U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championships.
In the men’s freeski, UMF finished with 18 place points in the team combined standings, the best showing for the men’s freeski program at the USCSA national championships.”
The team’s strongest showing came in the rail jam on Wednesday, March 9, where UMaine-Farmington placed second with 20 place points, recording the program’s best finish in the event. Ryan Brueninghaus was fifth overall in the event with Samuel Scheff right behind in sixth place and Carson Theriault in ninth.
All three UMF entries also took part in the freeski slopestyle competition on Thursday, March 10, with Brueninghaus placing ninth with 73.33 points in the finals. Therault also advanced into the finals and finished 14th with 60.67 points. Scheff earned a 36.67 in the preliminaries, and did not advance to the finals.
As a team, UMF placed fourth in the freeski slopestyle competition, which was also the program’s best-ever finish in the event.
“We are extremely proud of the men’s freeski team this season. It has been a program goal to showcase our talent at a national level,” said Andrew Willihan, UMF’s interim director of snowsports. “The western mountains of Maine have unbelievable resources to support this group’s passion for skiing and it shows through their passion for the sport and abilities in the park.”
In the women’s Nordic events, Francis placed 31st in the 7.5 km freestyle race on Tuesday, March 8, with a time of 31:58.40, and finished sixth in her Wednesday quarterfinal in the classic sprint with a time of 4:37.7.
In the 15 km classic mass start event on Friday, March 11, Francis placed 31st with a time of 1:15:16.90.
In the overall individual competition, Francis placed 27th out of 31 competitors with 89 points.
“We are proud of Mulleins determination and passion for her sport,” said Willihan. “She represented the university in top notch fashion this year. With challenging courses and snow conditions, her consistent ability to rise to top level competition is admirable. We look forward to Mullein returning to the national stage next year.”
