LAKE PLACID, N.Y. –For the second straight day, the Hobart and William Smith Alpine skiing teams have won a national championship at the 2026 USCSA National Championships. This time, Hobart sophomore Will Patton secured the slalom title, securing the first national championship in program history. He joins teammate Aspen McAuley as the top slalom skiers in the country on both the men's and women's side.
 
Patton's dominant career continued this week at the USCSA National Championships as he secured his first career national title. In Friday's slalom race, he put on an impressive performance, finishing first in both runs to secure the title. Patton stopped the clock at 45.39 to grab first place in the first run and followed that up with a first-place finish in the second run with a time of 44.61. Patton's combined time of 1:30.00 secured the national title by almost one full second, topping the second-place finisher from Rocky Mountain College to crown him the slalom national champion.
 
 
The Charlotte, Vermont, native has impressed in his sophomore season, collecting five first place finishes, including his first ever national title. Patton was named to the Mideast Conference First Team after leading the Statesmen to the Mideast Conference Regular Season title. In his second collegiate national championships, Patton has raced to All-American status in two events, bringing his career total to five after earning racing to All-American status three times in his rookie season. This week, he finished eighth out of 83 racers in the skier cross and first out of 154 in the slalom on White Face Mountain.
 
Patton and the Statesmen will close out action at the 2026 USCSA National Championships on Saturday as they compete in the dual slalom at 9 a.m. More information will follow at the conclusion of the national championships.