CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - The William Smith Alpine skiing team was back in action this weekend, Feb 21-22, competing in the Mideast Conference Regional Championships on Bristol Mountain. The Herons finished in a tie for third place with Syracuse but won the tiebreaker for the third-place slot, qualifying for the 2026 USCSA National Championships in Lake Placid, New York.
 
 
In Saturday's giant slalom race, which included 52 racers, William Smith produced four top 20 finishers, including the first-place finisher, first-year Aspen McAuley. McAuley tallies her fifth first-place finish of the season in the giant slalom, securing it by over five seconds with a time of 1:48.84. Senior Julia Bragg grabbed 12th place, crossing the line for a combined time of 1:58.54, while first-year Delaney Remington stopped the clock at 1:59.70 for a 14th-place finish. Junior Emily Cain raced to a 19th-place finish with a time of 2:02.84.
 
In Sunday's slalom race, three Herons finished in the top 20. Senior Kate Broderick secured an eleventh-place finish with a combined race time of 1:59.07, recording her sixth top 15 finish of the season in the slalom. Sophomore Mia Crivelli crossed the line at 2:10.36 for 17th place, while Cain followed close behind, grabbing 19th place with a combined race time of 2:12.68. 
 
GIANT SLALOM TIMES:

• Aspen McAuley – 1:48.84 (1)
• Julia Bragg – 1:58.54 (12)
• Delaney Remington – 1:59.70 (14)
• Emily Cain – 2:02.84 (19)
• Mia Crivelli – 2:10.08 (26)

SLALOM TIMES:

• Kate Broderick – 1:59.07 (11)
• Mia Crivelli – 2:10.36 (17)
• Emily Cain – 2:12.68 (19)

MIDEAST CONFERENCE AWARDS:
 
Along with William Smith's third-place finish at the Regional Championships, the Herons finished second in the regular season conference standings. McAuley was named the Mideast Fastest Female Skier for finishing first in 10 out of 11 races during the regular season. McAuley was also named to the Mideast All-Conference team for her dominating performances this season.
 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Herons have officially punched their ticket to the USCSA National Championships and will head to Lake Placid on March 9-14, to compete on Whiteface Mountain. This is the Heron's second-straight bid to the USCSA National Championships.