LAKE PLACID, N.Y. –The William Smith Alpine skiing team capped off its most successful season in program history at the 2026 USCSA National Championships on White Face Mountain last week. The Herons' second-straight national championship appearance was highlighted by first-year
Aspen McAuley being crowned the national champion in slalom on Thursday. She is the first Heron to win a national championship in program history.
As a team, William Smith finished 12th out of 26 teams in the national championship team standings. The Herons finished seventh out of 26 teams in Tuesday's giant slalom, second of 22 teams in Wednesday's skier cross and 17th of 26 in Thursday's slalom event. William Smith closed out the week with action in Saturday's dual slalom race.
Individually, McAuley capped her dominant week with a first place finish out of 135 racers in the alpine skiing individual standings. She is the first Heron in program history to secure first place at the USCSA National Championships. Junior
Emily Cain raced to a 36th place finish, while first-year
Delaney Remington and senior
Julia Bragg finished 74th and 76th, respectively.
ALL-AMERICAN HERONS:
McAuley was dominant on the slopes in her first collegiate national championships, racing to All-American status in three events. She finished second out of 130 racers in the giant slalom, fifth out of 63 racers in the skier cross, and first out of 145 racers in the slalom to garner three-time All-American status. McAuley was eventually crowned the top racer in the women's alpine ski standings, finishing first out of 135 racers overall. First-year
Ludovica Corte raced to All-American status in the skier cross after finishing 11th out of 63 racers, while Bragg also secured All-American status in the skier cross after finishing 14th. Both Corte and Bragg earned their first All-American awards of their collegiate careers.
WEEKLY BREAKDOWN:
William Smith opened up the week's competition with the giant slalom. The Herons finished seventh out of 26 teams and were led by McAuley's second place finish. She finished second in both runs and combined for a time of 2:12.86 to secure second overall. Remington and Bragg added top 50 finishes for William Smith to help secure seventh place. Remington stopped the clock at 2:29.91 to claim 41st, while Bragg crossed the finish line at 2:30.84 to secure 46th overall.
The Herons continued to impress in Wednesday's skier cross, which was their first time competing in this event all season. William Smith produced three top 15 finishers, securing second place in the team standings behind Rocky Mountain College. McAuley once again led the way with a fifth-place finish and a time of 42.24, while Corte chipped in an 11th place finish with a time of 43.59. Bragg rounded out the top three finishers for William Smith after securing 14th with a time of 44.05.
On Thursday, William Smith won its first individual national championship in program history as McAuley raced to a first-place finish in the slalom with a time of 1:38.72. As a team, the Herons finished 17th out of 26 teams as only two Herons finished the race through tough conditions. Cain finished 61st in the slalom after crossing the finish line at 2:18.26.
GIANT SLALOM TIMES:
SKIER CROSS TIMES:
SLALOM TIMES:
