The Hobart Alpine skiing team was back in action this weekend, Feb 21-23, competing in the USCSA Mideast Conference Regional Championships on Bristol Mountain. Hobart finished first out of 14 teams in both the giant slalom and slalom events, securing first place overall and punching its ticket to the 2026 USCSA National Championships on Whiteface Mountain.
 
 
In Saturday's giant slalom, which included 58 racers, Hobart produced five top 15 finishers, including the first-place finisher, sophomore Will Patton. Patton tallied his fourth top two finish of the season in the giant slalom with a combined time of 1:44.82. Junior Ethan Hine followed close behind in second place, stopping the clock at 1:47.66. This is Hine's fourth top five finish of the season in the giant slalom. First-year Zachary Wargo secured a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:51.76, while senior Luke Ward added an eighth-place finish, crossing the line at 1:52.18. Sophomore Jake Labanowski rounded out Hobart's top 15 with a 15th-place finish and a time of 1:54.69.
 
In Sunday's slalom, three Statesmen finished in the top 10 to help claim first place in the team standings. Hine finished third with a combined race time of 1:51.62, for his third top 5 finish of the season in the slalom. Patton followed close behind in fourth place after stopping the clock at 1:51.88. This is Patton's fourth top five finish of the season in the slalom. Wargo rounded out the top three finishers for Hobart with a time of 1:54.97 to grab ninth place.
 
GIANT SLALOM TIMES:

• Will Patton – 1:44.82 (1)
• Ethan Hine – 1:47.66 (2)
• Zachary Wargo – 1:51.76 (6)
• Luke Ward – 1:52.18 (8)
• Jake Labanowski – 1:54.69 (15)

SLALOM TIMES:

• Ethan Hine – 1:51.62 (3)
• Will Patton – 1:51.88 (4)
• Zachary Wargo – 1:54.97 (9)

MIDEAST CONFERENCE AWARDS:
 
Along with its first-place finish at the Regional Championships, Hobart finished first in Mideast Conference regular season standings. The Statesmen earned four All-Conference awards. Patton, Hine, Wargo, and Labanowski were all named to the Mideast Conference first team following their impressive seasons on the slopes.
 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Statesmen have officially punched their ticket to the USCSA National Championships and will head to Lake Placid, New York, March 9-14, to compete on Whiteface Mountain. This is Hobart's third-straight bid to the USCSA National Championships.