The Hastings Alpine Ski Team concluded its regular season with a demanding week of competition, showcasing determination and skill as they prepared for the upcoming Section 4 meet.
On Monday, January 27, twelve skiers representing Hastings competed at Wild Mountain in a warm-up race against 20 of the top teams from around the state. The Raider girls put in a strong effort, securing a ninth-place team finish, led by an impressive ninth place individual performance from Kate Nowak. She will compete in sections alongside teammates Alexa Loritz (29th place), Claire Caturia, Claire Montgomery, Maddie Herdt, and Addison Maniak. On the boys’ side, the team finished in seventh place, with Gavin Molitor leading the charge in 11th place. He will be joined at sections by Finn Caturia, James McNamara, Axton Bauer, Will Bauer, and Weston Chandler.
Later in the week, the team faced off against their conference rivals and top skiers from the Minneapolis public schools at Welch Village. They competed in a scheduled race on Tuesday and a make-up race on Thursday. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams secured fourth place finishes in the conference standings for the season. The top point earners for the boys included Gavin Molitor, James McNamara, Finn Caturia, Axton Bauer, Will Bauer, Weston Chandler, James Samii, Leighton Stoffel, Henry Naber, and Max Bauer. The girls’ top performers were Kate Nowak, Alexa Loritz, Claire Caturia, Addison Maniak, Maddie Herdt, Claire Montgomery, Maddie Paulson, Amelia Montgomery, Lia Ferguson, and standout seventh grader Marley Schield.
The final invitational race of the season took place on Friday at Afton Alps, where the team enjoyed ideal skiing conditions. The girls delivered a strong performance, finishing sixth out of 13 teams, with Kate Nowak securing an impressive fifth place overall. The boys demonstrated consistency and strength, earning a fourth place finish out of 14 teams, led by James McNamara’s outstanding third place finish.
A highlight of the Afton Invitational was the individual competition for the coveted "King and Queen of the Hill" title, awarded to the fastest overall single run. Sophomore Kate Nowak narrowly missed the top spot, securing an impressive second place finish.
With the regular season now behind them, the Hastings Alpine Ski Team looks ahead to the Section 4 meet, where they aim to build on their momentum and achieve even greater success.