Biathlon Team Opens Season at US Regional Cup

Paul Smiths, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College Biathlon team opened their winter season at the Regional Cup in Craftsbury, VT this past weekend.  Despite a lack of snow and significant weather challenges including pouring rain on the first day of competition, the Bobcats had solid performances throughout the weekend.

The first day of competition at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center found the Bobcats facing a deluge as the finicky December weather turned from sleet to rain.  Despite challenges with both the skiing and shooting portions, the team turned in solid performances in the sprint competition.  The men's side was led by Logan Jensen (Bemidji, MN) who was able to ski fast enough to make up for the challenging shooting in the range, finishing at 31:02 in 1^st place.  Teammate Diego Schillaci (New Paltz, NY) finished in 2^nd place with a time of 31:52.  The women's team took 2^nd-4^th places, led by Dolcie Tanguay (Fort Kent, ME) who combined good shooting (missing just two targets) and fast skiing to finish in 25:23.  Teammate Saylor Landrum (St. Paul, MN) finished in 2^nd place with a time of 27:01, while Kaisa Bosek (Alexandria, MN) finished in 4^th with a time of 27:36.

The final competition on Sunday was a true pursuit, with athletes starting in order of finish from day one and chasing the competitors who finished in front of them.  The conditions on the skiing portion were better on the second day, but swirling winds caused challenges on the shooting range.  On the men's side, Logan Jensen once again came away with the win, battling back and forth throughout the day with St. Michael's Colleges Joe Del Toro.  Jensen finished the day at 39:55 followed by Del Toro at 40:49.  PSC's Brady Miller (Presque Isle, ME) finished in 3^rd place with a time of 44:27.  The women's team finished in the same order as the previous day, with Tanguay, Landrum, and Bosek taking 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place, respectively. 

Head Coach Matt Dougherty noted, "It was nice to get out and compete and get the season started.  It's been a challenging early winter with minimal snow, so it was amazing to get on a course and see where we are.  The entire group had a good opening weekend, and it gives us a solid amount of information to hone in on as we prepare for two big upcoming competitions."

The biathletes will return to action December 14^th-18^th at the US Biathlon IBU Trials in Craftsbury, VT for an early chance to qualify for the World University Games.  The Bobcats then head to Anchorage, AK December 28^th-31^st for the World University Games Trials.