ConVal skiers headed to state meets

ConVal sophomore Gavin Niemela races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal sophomore Gavin Niemela races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal junior Garret Rousseau races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal junior Garret Rousseau races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal junior Ben Fraley races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal junior Ben Fraley races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal sophomore Maisie Michaud races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal sophomore Maisie Michaud races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

 ConVal sophomore Campbell Maggs races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

 ConVal sophomore Campbell Maggs races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal junior Merrit Kotula races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal junior Merrit Kotula races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal junior Eliza Bull races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal junior Eliza Bull races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

 ConVal junior Izzy Jobin races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

 ConVal junior Izzy Jobin races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

Tutu-clad ConVal senior Lucy Jackson makes her way through the gates during Thursday's race. 

Tutu-clad ConVal senior Lucy Jackson makes her way through the gates during Thursday's race.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

Sporting her grandfather's vintage racing sweater, ConVal senior Jen Hopkins races down the course at Crotched Mountain in Bennington during Thursday's senior night race against Goffstown, Hollis-Brookline and Souhegan. 

Sporting her grandfather's vintage racing sweater, ConVal senior Jen Hopkins races down the course at Crotched Mountain in Bennington during Thursday's senior night race against Goffstown, Hollis-Brookline and Souhegan.  PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

: ConVal senior Jake Alonso races downhill while wearing a full denim outfit as his senior night swag. 

: ConVal senior Jake Alonso races downhill while wearing a full denim outfit as his senior night swag.  —PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal freshman Harlan Bielagus races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal freshman Harlan Bielagus races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  —PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal sophomore Remy Kekuewa-Colon races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal sophomore Remy Kekuewa-Colon races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  —PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal sophomore Cole Bouchard races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal sophomore Cole Bouchard races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  —PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

ConVal junior Maeve Finn races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

ConVal junior Maeve Finn races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  —PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

 ConVal freshman Cole Dexter races at Crotched Mountain Thursday. 

 ConVal freshman Cole Dexter races at Crotched Mountain Thursday.  —PHOTO BY BEN CONANT/BEN CONANT PHOTOGRAPHY

By BEN CONANT

For the Ledger-Transcript

Published: 02-05-2024 12:50 PM

The ConVal alpine skiing team held its senior night races at Crotched Mountain in Bennington Thursday afternoon and will participate in the NHIAA state championship meets. 

Thursday's races were in the slalom dual panel format, where competitors and teammates race down side-by-side, weaving through two sets of parallel gates. ConVal racers finished as high as third in both the boys' and girls' races, with senior Jen Hopkins and junior Ben Fraley taking that position in their respective races. 

Hopkins, adorned in her grandfather's vintage race sweater, slightly repurposed to show a nine for her bib number,  finished her two runs in a combined 1:16:30, only behind Hollis-Brookline's Annette Schlunk (1:14.31) and Souhegan's McKenzie Burke (1:16.12). Fellow senior Lucy Jackson's tutu didn't slow her down at all, as she placed ninth with a combined time of 1:21.31.

Also finishing for the third-place ConVal girls were Eliza Bull (10th), Izzy Jobin (12th), Maisie Michaud (14th), Campbell Maggs (15th), Merrit Kotula (16th) and Maeve Finn (20th).

Fraley was third in the boys' race in 1:13.81, behind Souhegan's Darren Leary (1:09.28) and Reid Kimball (1:10.52).Garret Rousseau took eighth in 1:16.21 with teammate Gavin Niemela 10th in 1:17.24 to round out the top 10. Senior Jake Alonso went the full denim route with a red vest to match his boots and finished 14th in 1:25.36.

Also racing for the second-place ConVal boys were Harlan Bielagus (15th), Cole Bouchard (18th), Remy Kekuewa-Colon (21st) and Cole Dexter (DNF). The ConVal boys' team will race at the Division II state championship meet at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway on Tuesday, Feb. 13, while the girls' team will race at home for their DII championship at Crotched Mountain on Monday, Feb. 12.