March 11, 2007

WINTER PARK, CO - The Boston College men's ski team concluded its week at USCSA Nationals on Saturday by placing fourth in the slalom, earning the team a fourth-place finish overall for the event. The Eagles placed two skiers in the top 15 of the slalom event.

Senior co-captain Gregory Avallon paced the Eagles in the slalom by finishing sixth with a total time of 1 minute 33.03 seconds. Sophomore Andrew Simmons placed 14th in 1:35.09, junior Shawn Radman took 46th with a time of 1:46.88, freshman Stephen Fiorella finished 62nd in 1:52.84, and senior Thatcher Merrill did not finish the first run.

The Eagles placed fourth overall in the slalom with a total team time of 295.00 seconds. Rocky Mountain College placed first in 276.74 seconds and Sierra Nevada College finished second in 276.90 seconds. Plymouth State University took third in 294.59 seconds and Seattle University finished fifth in 297.30 seconds.

In the team combined results, Rocky Mountain College placed first, Plymouth State University second, Sierra Nevada College third, Boston College fourth, and Seattle University fifth.

The Eagles placed two skiers in the top 15 of the individual combined standings. Gregory Avallon led the team in seventh and Andrew Simmons took 15th.

"The team struggled a little bit again with finishing," head coach Peter Endres said. "Conditions were tough because of the soft snow, so a lot of the field had problems with finishing. I think we could have done a little better, but the guys skied well and gave it their all. I'm very proud of our skiers. The great results and accomplishments this season are evidence of their hard work and commitment to the team."

The men's ski team finished its season on Saturday at Nationals after having earned the regular-season MacConnell Division title and a third-place finish at ECSC Regionals.