In the final race of the regular season, Bromfield/North Middlesex boys placed first, taking the league title while girls placed seventh, landing sixth in the Alpha Division of the Massachusetts Bay West Ski League at the Nashoba Valley Ski Area on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Recent snow left the course fully covered but soft. Athletes said that ruts were particularly bad and that the course became “chewed up” after many skiers had been down it.
The boys team was led by North Middlesex senior Owen Wood, who placed third with a time of 28.24 seconds. North Middlesex freshman Jack deDiego followed closely behind with a time of 28.85 seconds, finishing in fifth place.
Lilyana deDiego, a North Middlesex freshman, placed highest on the girls team, seventh with a time of 27.72 seconds. She is ranked ninth overall out of more than 100 athletes in the Alpha Division. Bromfield junior Audrey Slavin also scored well, placing 15th with 29.83 seconds.
The top 16 athletes from each gender can qualify to compete at the state meet. One of five girls on the team, Lilyana deDiego, will go to states. Slavin was just two places away from being eligible to compete, ranked 18th. Jack deDiego, Wood, and Cole Maddalone are all ranked in the top 10 and will race at the state meet. Bromfield/North Middlesex boys are first in the Alpha Division, so they can bring an additional racer.
Races are either giant slalom, in which turns are wider as gates are further apart, or slalom, in which there are more gates, placed closer together and requiring more turns. There are three races of each type per season, and this race was a slalom race.
When asked to reflect on the season, Bromfield senior and captain Andrew Brown said, “It was a fun year, and we focused on being a team, not just kids who ski.” The girls team gave a similar account, with Slavin saying, “Everyone on the team got super close.”
With this race, the regular season is complete. Qualifying skiers will race at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s state Alpine ski meet on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Berkshire East Mountain Resort, Charlemont. The races will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Annabelle Purcell is a Bromfield sophomore.
Bay West Alpha Division Race 6: Slalom, Feb. 11
Boys top five finishers
- Owen Wood (28.24 seconds), third
- Jack deDiego (28.85), fifth
- Cole Maddalone (29.33), 10th
- Cole Janda (29.97), 15th
- Jasper Pride (31.34), 21st
Girls top five finishers
- Lilyana deDiego (27.72), seventh
- Audrey Slavin (29.83), 15th
- Ruby Hunt (32.77), 28th
- Summer Finn (39.25), 43rd
- Anouk Bidault (44.07), 48th
