The Penn State ski team capped off their conference schedule with a strong finish at Tussey Mountain this past weekend.

The fifth and final conference race of the season was to help lock in an Allegheny Collegiate Ski Conference (ACSC) title for the Nittany Lions and guarantee a bid to regional competition.

The women's team had dominant performances in both the slalom and giant slalom races with the help of freshman Julia Ruzyllo.

"Julia has been leading our team all season," said coach Jim Polinchok.

Ruzyllo finished second place in the slalom with a time of 91.61 seconds. Veteran women's skier Sarah Geiger followed close behind with a time of 93.71 seconds and a fifth-place finish.

In giant slalom competition, Emily Pasquale led the way for the women with a third-place finish and time of 64.80 seconds. The five members of the A team combined to win first place overall scores in both races.

The men's team placed lower than usual with a third-place finish in the slalom and fourth place in the giant slalom. The loss of top skier and captain, Nick Fox, due to a torn ACL hurt the overall scores for the men's A team. Fox watched his team from the finish line, optimistic of a possible return for regionals.

"I'm taking it day by day, but my knee is feeling well," Fox said.

Both Fox and coach Polinchok remain focused on the team in spite of Fox's injury.

"We are very strong in depth and have a lot of good skiers to step up and fill in," said Polinchok of his men's team.

He is looking for the leadership of veterans Ryan Walsh and Jeff Dougan as well as the talent of freshman Pete Ripley to help the team through regionals.

The top finish was posted Saturday by Dougan in the slalom race with a time of 82.98 seconds.

Though the overall scores were below average for the men, they will enter regional competition at Seven Springs on Friday with a first-place seed and division title out of their conference. Bucknell, Navy, and West Virginia will join the Lions as the other qualifiers from the ACSC.

The women also won a conference title and will be accompanied to Seven Springs by Navy, Pennsylvania, and Davis and Elkins College. The teams of the ACSC will meet conferences from New Jersey, Western New York, and the South on Friday and Saturday.

Among conference titles and strong finishes on the weekend, there were several other honors for the Penn State ski team and the eight other members of the ACSC. An awards ceremony was held at Tussey Mountain Ski Resort after the races ended yesterday and the Nittany Lions drew the most praise. Penn State received the Governor's Cup, which honored the skiers with the best overall combined men's and women's performances on the season. The men and women also won awards distinguishing each team with the best combined scores in the slalom and giant slalom.