As they had been all season long, consistency and teamwork were the key elements that guided the women of Penn State's ski team to a second-place finish at regional competition in Seven Springs this weekend.
The men, too, lived up to their potential, finishing fifth overall in the region after the loss of their top skier and captain, Nick Fox, two weeks ago due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The men and women of the Nittany Lion ski team met at Seven Springs as one of the 16 best teams from Pennsylvania, Western New York, New Jersey, and the South. They were all vying for one of the top four spots that would promote their team to national competition in March.
The women's team had high expectations of lengthening its season, entering the weekend events as Allegheny Collegiate Ski Conference title holders.
The giant slalom competition was held on Friday, where the women placed fifth. Freshman Julia Ruzyllo was the top woman skier of the day, finishing 14th in the field with a time of 1:45.69 seconds.
On Saturday, the Penn State women left their mark in the slalom race. Ruzyllo led the team once again with an eighth-place finish and time of 44.56 seconds. She was followed closely by junior Nicole Stockey, who recorded a time of 46.11 seconds for an 11th-place finish. The women's team placed second in the slalom and third overall for the weekend.
Like the women, the men entered regionals as conference titleholders. However, since the loss of Fox, the outlook for the men has been uncertain.
The men scored well below their expectations in the giant slalom race on Friday, finishing eighth. Freshman Pete Ripley placed fourteenth in the field with a time of 1:45.69.
Unable to physically contribute to the team's scores, Fox offered input and support.
"After the first day of giant slalom, we knew we'd need some spectacular skiing going into Saturday," said Fox.
Fox was correct in his assumption and thrilled to watch the team out-perform everyone the following day. Rebounding off a sluggish giant slalom race, the men's team finished first in the slalom the following day. Ripley dominated the field as the top finisher with a time of 42 seconds. Senior Ryan Walsh was the other leading skier for the Lions, putting up a time of 44.91 seconds and finishing 13th.
But the comeback performance on Saturday would not be enough to help the men qualify for nationals. They finished fifth overall and just one place point away from moving on.
The women of the Penn State ski team will be making their way across the country this weekend to join the best skiers in the nation. Teams from all regions of the United States will meet March 3-8 at Northstar at Tahoe Ski Resort in California to compete for a national title.
Also, one member from the men's team will have the opportunity to ski in nationals. Finishing third overall and as the top skier not to qualify as part of a team, Ripley won the one bid for nationals given to an individual. He will represent Penn State next week when he competes against the finest skiers in the nation.
For the women, coach Jim Polinchok has set their goal for a top-10 finish at nationals. The last time they were there, the women finished 11th.
Syracuse, Princeton and Cornell Universities will join them in California as the other women's teams from regionals. Cornell, Bucknell, Syracuse and Alfred Universities qualified as the men's teams to go on from regionals.
