LYME CENTER, N.H. - Saint Michael's College Alpine skiing senior Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS) and sophomore Aidan Robin (Stowe, Vt./Burke Mountain Academy) both placed among the top 21 during the NCAA Championship giant slalom on Friday at the Dartmouth Skiway. The four-day event features the top NCAA Division I, II and III Alpine and Nordic skiing student-athletes.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS

• Through day three of competition, Saint Michael's as a college stands 13th among 23 schools thanks to its Alpine and Nordic skiers with 50.5 points, good for sixth among institutions from the East.
• The Alpine team concluded action sitting in 12th place with 48.5 points.
• Kristoffersen netted 14.5 points for the Purple Knights, singlehandedly outscoring Colby College (8) and Williams College (4.5), which entered three and two competitors, respectively, in the event. Women's Alpine ended up in 12th place (25.5) for the championship, trimming two-qualifier school Williams (10.5).
• Robin's 10 team points were greater than the University of New Hampshire's eight despite three Wildcats competing in the GS. Men's Alpine tied Plymouth State University for 13th place at NCAAs with 23 points while trimming two-skier squad Westminster (Utah) University (16).
• Fifteenth-year head coach Gus MacLeod '02 sent at least one qualifier to the NCAA Championship for the 12th time, all since 2012. Purple Knights have combined for 32 NCAA appearances and 12 All-America performances under MacLeod's direction. In the history of Saint Michael's Athletics, no coach has represented the College at NCAA Championships or NCAA Tournaments as often as MacLeod.

WOMEN'S LEADERS

• Senior Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS), tied for 16th in giant slalom, 1:59.31 two-run combined time
  • Tied for 7th among East skiers
  • Started in No. 4 bib among 34 competitors; 3rd starter from the East
  • 5th following opening run (55.56), 2nd among East skiers
  • 4th-best performance by Saint Michael's woman in GS at NCAA Championship; 3 of top 4 finishes belong to Kristoffersen
  • Kristoffersen concludes her career as the most decorated women's skier - Alpine or Nordic - in College history. The only woman to qualify for the NCAA Championship four times, she was a two-time All-America finisher and two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) GS points champion, the lone woman to achieve the former and the only Purple Knight of any gender to complete the latter. Kristoffersen is the third Saint Michael's skier to appear at four NCAAs, joining Alpine brethren Keith Farnand '00 and Guillaume Grand '19

MEN'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Aidan Robin (Stowe, Vt./Burke Mountain Academy), 21st in giant slalom, 1:56.51 two-run combined time
  • 9th finisher from East
  • Started in No. 29 bib among 34 competitors; 15th starter from the East
  • Sat 22nd following opening run (55.28), 11th among East skiers
  • 1st career NCAA Championship appearance

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S EVENT

• Nordic skiing senior Declan Hutchinson (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) and sophomore Oliver Miatke (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) conclude competition at the NCAA Championship on Saturday with the mass-start 20K freestyle at 10 a.m.