A pair of top-five finishes at the state competition capped a strong season on the slopes for Lake Orion.
The girls team maintained their place among the state’s elite programs, finishing in fourth place for the second year in a row.
Led by a strong day from senior James Hubbard, the boys team moved back into the top five.
‘Both teams skied really well,? said coach Erica Schulze. ‘The girls were only four points from Marquette and after the morning slalom we were in third.?
The girls finished with 151 points, leaving them behind Marquette (147), Clarkston (85) and champion Traverse City West (46).
Senior Kristin Fleming led the team with a tenth place finish in the slalom and a 13th place finish in the giant slalom.
‘She won the slalom at the SEMSL league championship, so she definitely had a good end to the season,? Schulze said.
The top ten finish was something Fleming had her sights set on from day one.
‘That was my goal that I set before the season started,? she said.
Fleming has been taking weekend trips up north to ski, so the hill at Boyne Highlands was certainly not intimidating to her. She was pleased with how her teammates handled the pressure.
‘As a team I was really surprised that we finished in fourth,? she said.
‘Obviously after our start we’d rather have held onto third, but our younger skiers really came through in the end.?
Sophomore Emily Loerch was 18th in the slalom and 28th in the giant slalom.
Senior Camille Seybert was 24th and 23rd in the two races, respectively, and junior Rachel Brown and sophomore Julia Jabczenski each had top 40 finishes in both events.
On the boys? side, Marquette took home the state title with 61 points. They were followed by TC West (89), Brother Rice (121.5), Clarkston (126) and Lake Orion (150).
‘Last year they were ninth, so it was a great improvement,? Schulze said.
Hubbard finished first in the slalom and seventh in the giant slalom to lead the way.
‘James really pulled through and finished his career well,? Schulze added.
The first place finish in the slalom was redemption for Hubbard, who didn’t finish the second of the two heats last year.
‘I really haven’t had a good career at states,? Hubbard said, ‘but I kind of changed that this year.?
Hubbard said that skiing with a team presents a challenge in itself, as the skier must be careful not to make a mistake, while trying to achieve personal goals at the same time.
‘From that aspect I thought I raced the best that I could,? he said.
As a team, Hubbard thought a few little mistakes prevented a top three finish, but he noted it’s hard for everyone to be flawless in the same race.
‘It’s definitely a big step up from last year,? he added.
Senior Kevin Bowen finished 28th in the slalom and 19th in the giant slalom.
Senior Marty Tarr was 32nd in the slalom, while sophomore Stephen Sims was 32nd in the giant slalom.
Sophomore Brian Arsen had top 50 finishes in both events.
Schulze said the senior leadership played a big role in the team’s success. The boys have five seniors and the girls three.
‘It’s a great group of kids and I’m really proud of their results,? she said.
‘They really picked it up and proved that Southeastern Michigan still has some of the top skiers in the state.?