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2003 Alpine Skiing

The Bates ski team is consistently one of the most successful programs at the College, finishing among the top-20 in the nation for seven straight years, including 2003’s 16th-place finish.

The alpine team has a lot to look forward to with an impressive recruiting class according to second-year coach Rogan Connell. The team returns 11 first-years and seven sophomores who all gained valuable experience competing against some of the best in the country last year.

Erin Bragg '06 (Park City, Utah) and Jennifer Williams '05 (North Andover, Mass.) were consistent point scorers for the women's team in 2003. Bragg's top finish was 11th in the slalom at the University of Vermont Carnival. The Bobcats will also count on Rachael Levitz '06 (Lake Placid, N.Y.).

The men's team boasts several returning veterans, including Dave Baker '04 (Greenwich, N.Y), who will take over as the 2004 captain, and Sean McKenna '06 (Manchester, N.H.), who had the best results of the season for the Bobcats despite missing two carnivals with a shoulder injury.  John Ritzo '06 (Kingfield, Maine) will also return as one of the Bobcats most consistent skiers. The alpine team has always been one of Bates' most successful teams, and recently was led by four-time All-America Kyle Hildebrand '02.

Bates’ training and competition facilities are among the best in New England. The alpine team trains and races at Sunday River in Bethel, Maine, while the Nordic team has a home course at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. In March 1999, Bates hosted the NCAA championships at these home courses. The Lewiston-Auburn area boasts several trails close to campus for in-season training. Campus and the surrounding area offer challenging terrain for dry-land training.


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Rogan Connell was named head coach of alpine skiing at Bates in November 2001. He was director of skiing at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vt., from 1999 to 2001, leading the Knights to one top-20 finish at the NCAA championships. Prior to that, he was assistant head coach at Ford Sayre Academy in Hanover, N.H. A two-time letter winner at the University of New Hampshire, Connell helped the Wildcats to a pair of top-10 finishes at the NCAA championships in 1992 and 1993.  He is also an assistant men's lacrosse coach at Bates.