WILMINGTON, N.Y. – Stratton Mountain freestyle skier Reese Knight will pack two Empire State Winter Games gold medals when she returns to Vermont on Sunday. Reese leaves Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington as a two-time women’s moguls champion.
Sunday, Feb. 2, was a repeat of Saturday. Reese claimed both the U15 and overall women’s titles when she scored 76.26 points during her second run down the mountain’s Lower Valley trail. She also covered the 183.5-meter course in 24.40 seconds.
Teammate Ella Peddie finished second to Reese. Peddie worked her way through the course’s bumps and two jumps in a first-heat time of 27.03 and the three judges awarded her 71.32 points.
Moguls distinguishes itself from other Alpine skiing events, as the sport combines balance, style and speed. Athletes take two runs, with the judges taking their highest score. Competitors will take on moguls, as well as two jumps over the course of their run to hit the highest score possible.
Alexa Paley, also of Stratton Mountain, finished third. She rode her second run to the bronze medal finish in a time of 25.76 while earning 68.72 points from the event’s judges.
Stratton Mountain’s Zach Monteau, yesterday’s men’s bronze medalist, earned gold on Sunday. During his first run, he blasted down the course in 24.48 and was given 72.80 points for his efforts. His teammates, Liam Boston earned the silver medal while Shayd Hersh claimed the bronze. Boston secured his podium spot with a first heat time of 24.62 and picked up 72.31 points, while Hersh, yesterday’s gold medalist, used his second run, in which he stopped the clock in 23.74. That run also earned him 72.12 points.