Boys varsity ski team places 2nd in state championship

The Sparta High School varsity boys ski team took second place overall at the 2023 New Jersey State Alpine Ski Championships.

The New Jersey Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (NJISRA) championship races were held during two days at Mountain Creek in Vernon. The top 11 high school ski teams by win percentages qualified to compete in the races.

The first day of the competition was the giant slalom discipline and the second day was slalom.

Wins in both were powered by Sparta’s top four alpine ski racers: team captain Kanna Pasunuri, assistant captain James Kressman, Drew Young and George Flint. Their combined race times from both races drove the team to third place in both disciplines.

Because two different high school ski teams took second place in Giant Slalom and Slalom, Sparta benefited, and the men were awarded second overall, with a time of 12:21.11.

Don Bosco Prep won first overall, with a team time of 11:42.09, and Blair Academy took third, with a team time of 12:56.24. Because Don Bosco Prep is a private school, Sparta was named the No. 1 public school ski team in New Jersey.

At the Slalom race, the Sparta boys finished third, with a team time of 5:45.09. Young led the team at 1:21.74 along with Flint at 1:24.56, Kressman at 1:28.45 and Pasunuri at 1:30.34. Don Bosco Prep won the event with a time of 5:26.46, and Pingry placed second with a time of 5:31.60.

“I am impressed with the consistency and determination of our athletes to step up to podium placement all season long. They worked hard at every practice and were prepared for every race. Being the No. 1 public school ski team in New Jersey and winning podium second overall at States is truly a monumental victory. Every one of our varsity ski racers contributed to this exceptional season and I am proud of them all,” said ski team head coach Rodney Calafati.

Girls varsity

The girls varsity team came in seventh place overall at States with a team time of 14:48.11. Tenafly girls won the 2023 State Championships with a team time of 11:37.53, Pingry took second with a time of 11:49.51, and Vernon High School was third with a team time of 12:20.54.

At the Slalom race, Madison Campisi lead the team with a time of 1:21.58, followed by assistant team captain Elizabeth Flint at 1:39.01, Devon Dobbs at 1:42.01 and Aubrey Zimmermann at 1:48.61.

The girls raced to a sixth-place finish in slalom with a team time of 6:31.21. Tenafly won the race with a time of 5:22.95, Pingry placed second with a time of 5:23.69 and Vernon third with a time of 5:48.17.

Flint received the 2023 NJISRA Petro Scholarship Award.

Girls junior varsity

With just four girls on the junior varsity team, two clean finish times from each athlete were required to reach the podium.

Three of the girls finished among the top seven racers in the event and the girls clinched second place at the Giant Slalom State Championship on March 1 at Mt Peter.

Winning the race was Ridge with a team time of 4:07.96. Sparta had a time of 4:14.84 and Immaculate Heart finished third with a time of 4:20.68. Contributing to the team time for Sparta were Maddie Gambino, Brynne Cashion, Kate Agudo and Leah Albers.

Boys junior varsity

The boys junior varsity team took fourth place with a team time of 3:52.53.

First place went to Don Bosco Prep with a team time of 3:30.39. Delbarton finished in second place with a team time of 3:42.21 and Ridge finished third with a team time of 3:43.74.

Contributing to the team time for Sparta were Ben Dykstra, who placed among the top 10; Patrick Fitzsimmons; Jonathan Petelicki; and Gabe Harrison. Alek Diamond and Chase Thonus also raced and completed both runs.