Matthews Wins 15k at ECSC event as Bobcats Take Second
Paul Smiths, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College Nordic team have been competing in Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference (ECSC) events in recent weeks as they prepare for ECSC Divisionals and Regionals followed by the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) Nationals next month in Bend, Oregon. They are also gearing up for the Biathlon National Championships in Bozeman, Montana at the end of March.
On Saturday at the Paul Smith's College Visitor's Interpretive Center the pair of Isaac Kristich and Tenzin Mathes won the Men's Relay. In the Mixed Relay, the pairs of Diego Schillaci and Bridget Reusch (second place) and Philip Matthews and Jessie Church (third place) also landed on the podium as the Bobcats had a strong showing on day one.
Sunday's second day of competition saw Philip Matthews blaze by the rest of the field en route to a first-place finish in the Men's 15k with a time of 44:06.6, beating the second place skier from Clarkson by well over a minute. Schillaci and Gabriel Lloyd also earned top-10 finishes, coming in sixth and tenth places, respectively.
"It was my first individual win of my college career and it was really meaningful to be able to do it on our home turf," said Matthews. "It definitely made it more impactful and I think I was able to push more because it was a home race. The entire team raced well, especially in the cold, and I'm super excited to see what we can keep doing for the rest of the season!" he added.
A trio of Bobcats in the Women's 15k also finished in the top-10 as Jessie Church (fifth place), Kaisa Bosek (sixth place), and Bridget Reusch (eighth place) skied to second place in the team competition, just two points behind Clarkson.
The Bobcats host the ECSC Divisionals this weekend at the VIC where they'll look to continue their winning ways.
You can follow the Bobcats on Instagram at @paulsmiths_nordic or follow the general athletics account at @smitty_nation for scores, photoes, updates, and more!
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