Saints Host SLU Carnival to Open 2019 Season

The St. Lawrence University Alpine Ski team is set to open its 2019 carnival season this weekend hosting the St. Lawrence Carnival at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York on January 11-12. The Scarlet and Brown hit the slopes in Vail, Colorado over Thanksgiving break and have been working on preseason training at Whiteface Mountain, since they returned from Christmas Break at the beginning of January. "As we head into the carnival season, the coaching staff is very excited about the prospects for this winter," said head coach Willi Steinrotter. "We've added quality to both the men's and the women's teams with new recruits and we feel that they are going to be able and ready to contribute to the team this season. And along with the new members, the men's and women's returning athletes worked hard in the fall to get stronger, are skiing well and we feel they are ready to tackle the carnival circuit." Senior captains Jake VanDeursen and Ali Price return as the most seasoned members of the Saints' squad, while the junior class is made up of Lindsay Ahmann, Carter Armstrong, Samuel Matel, Alexx Nawrocki, Anjelika Nella, Pietro Tomei and Riley Whitney. Last year, Armstrong concluded the team's 2018 campaign with a postseason run at the 2018 NCAA Skiing Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Armstrong earned a 10th place spot in the slalom at the NCAA Eastern Regionals to secure a trip to the NCAAs and wrapped up the season with a 19th-finish in the giant slalom and a 15th-place result in the slalom at the championships. VanDeursen skied to a season-best 14th-place finish in the giant slalom at the Williams College Carnival and posted five EISA top-25 finishes last season. Whitney posted six EISA top-30 finishes on the season and posted a season-best 23rd-place performance in the slalom at UVM Winter Carnival. The Saints large returning sophomore class is made up of Elise Bouchard, Michael Fischer, Makena Gorman, Nicole Greene, Griffin Knorpp, Mikayla Lathrop, Ian Osselaer, Ella Pepin, Tarrah Price, Hunter Rodrick, Lillian Silverstein and Lauren Turner. As first-years this sophomore class was the largest incoming class in Steinrotter's tenure at St. Lawrence.