BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
The Clarkston Boys and Girls Varsity Ski teams are racing to great finishes in the first few weeks of competition.
“They are very consistent, very deep,” said Brian Popelier, head coach.
The varsity teams opened the season in a dual meet against Notre Dame Prep and Lake Orion in the Pine Knob Ski League on January 12.
The varsity girls team finished winning the giant slalom and slalom races against Lake Orion. The Wolves won their meet against Notre Dame Prep after splitting their races against the Fighting Irish.
“Notre Dame is a strong team,” said Popelier. “They are a state champions in a different division so to get a win on them is a good luck for our future.”
During the giant slalom, Courtney Bayley led the Wolves, finishing in first place, with a total time between the two courses at 36.43. Phoebe Savoie finished in fifth place, 37.11; Sydney Thomas, sixth place, 37.33; Cameron Brosky, 12th place, 38.37; Lyndsey Nicosia, 13th place, 38.80; Trisha Verbeke, 15th place, 39.25; and Maddie Leithauser, 18th place, 40.10.
Six racers finished in the top ten spots during the slalom. Bayley finished in second place in the time of 46.71; Thomas, third place, 47.27; Savoie, fourth place, 47.54; Verbeke, eighth place, 48.88; Nicosia, ninth place, 48.89; Leithauser, tenth place, 50.67; and Brosky, 56.70.
The boys varsity team won their meet against Lake Orion and lost to Notre Dame Prep.
“They are skiing very strong,” Popelier said. “They have a lot of potential. They just need to start getting those finishes in order to get the results.”
During the giant slalom race, Andrew Roeser led the team, finishing in seventh place, 35.10; Luke Farella finished in 14th place, 36.20; Noah Ostheimer, 18th place, 36.85; Gunnar Karlstrom, 22nd place, 37.28; and Nico Cifani, 33rd place, 42.23.
“Luke is a sophomore and is a very strong skier who has been great to watch,” Popelier said. “He is helping the team greatly by getting the finishes he is getting.”
For the slalom race, the top four racers were Farella, seventh place, 43.85; Ostheimer, 20th place, 46.55; Sawyer Haiss, 30th place, 54.76; and Roeser, 31st place, 56.16.
The girls varsity team won both races against Rochester Adams, Jan. 19.
During the giant slalom, Thomas led the team with a second place finish, 36.29. Brosky finished in third place, 36.40; Bayley, fifth place, 36.62; Nicosia, tenth place, 38.20; Leithauser, 12th place, 38.43; Verbeke, 14th place, 39.01; and Savoie, 24th place, 42.58.
In the slalom, Bayley finished in third place, 45.33; Thomas, fourth place, 45.87; Savoie, sixth place, 46.79; Verbeke, tenth place, 48.13; Nicosia, 13th place, 50.46; and Leithauser, 15th place, 51.19.
“I am very proud to see each race with have strong racers,” Popelier said. “Courtney is a definite leader on our team, but it’s nice to see some of the younger racers or other racers are competing with her as well as the rest of the field.”
The boys varsity team won both their races against Clarkston Everest Collegiate to win their meet against the Mountaineers. The Wolves lost both races to Rochester Adams.
During the giant slalom, Austin Bushroe finished in 13th place, 36.01; Ostheimer tied for 14th place, 36.19; Karlstrom, 16th place, 36.41; Andrew Foyteck, 17th place, 36.83; and David Robinson, 27th place, 39.16.
For the slalom, Farella led the team with a fourth place finish, 42.83. Karlstrom finished in 14th place, 45:45; Bushroe, 17th place, 46.16; Foyteck, 18th place, 46.24; Ostheimer, 20th place, 46.81; Haiss, 22nd place, 49.02; and Roeser, 31st place, 57.43.

  Ski