The Clarkston Boys and Girls Ski Team opened their season with wins over Cranbrook and the combined team of Troy/Berkley/Avondale (TAB), Jan. 7 and 8.
The Boys Varsity team had a strong day, with junior Andrew Roeser finishing in 12th place. Junior Gunnar Karlstrom and freshman Noah Ostheimer tied for 16th and junior David Robinson finished in 46th place to score points for Clarkston. Also racing were junior Nico Cifani, 48th place finish, junior Andrew Foyteck and freshman Luke Farella.
The girls team dominated the hill with sophomore Courtney Bayley finishing in third place; freshman Sydney Thomas, fourth; freshman Phoebe Savoie, seventh; and sophomore Maddie Leithouser, ninth. Rounding out the team was sophomore Lyndsey Nicosia in 13th place; senior Olivia Foytek, 16th place; and senior Allison Osborn, 23rd place.
“Senior leadership has been very important for our girls’ team,” said Coach Mike Foyteck. “Senior captains Olivia and Allison have brought a lot of experience and support for our younger team. The younger classman are very strong racers and we look forward to seeing how they progress this season.”
Weather was a factor in second week of racing, as snow conditions only allowed for a one run Slalom race on Jan. 13.
The girls team had a great day in Slalom, with Bayley tying for second place, Thomas finishing in eighth; Foyteck, 17th; and Savoie, 18th. Also racing were Nicosia finishing in 19th place; Leithouser, 22nd; Osborn, 33rd.
They had an even better performance in the Giant Slalom race, Jan. 14, with Bayley in third; Thomas, sixth; Leithouser, seventh; and Savoie, tenth. Also racing were Foyteck, 22nd; Osborn, 29th; and Nicosia.
Two Wolves finished in the top 15 at the Boys Slalom race: Roeser finished in 12th place and Karlstrom, 14th. Farella, 30th place, and Ostheimer, 40th, scored for the team, with Robinson in 48th,Cifani and Foyteck rounding out the team. Roeser finished eighth in the GS race, followed by Farella, 15th; Foyteck, 21st; Ostheimer, 34th; Robinson, 39th; followed by Karlstrom and Cifani.
The Wolves race in the Pine Knob Division, Division 1. They opened Week 3 in competition on Tuesday with a Slalom race and compete on Wednesday in the Giant Slalom.
Both races are against Waterford United and Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
They race against Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek next week with the Slalom race on Monday and Giant Slalom race on Tuesday, Jan. 28.