CHARLEMONT — The Mohawk Trail alpine ski teams took home plenty of hardware at the PVIAC Individual Championships at Berkshire East on Thursday.

The Warriors had the individual winner on both the boys and girls side. Weston Den Ouden captured the boys title after having the top time in both the slalom and giant slalom, while Addie Loomis also posted the top time in both the slalom and giant slalom to earn a first-place overall finish on the girls side. 

For Loomis, it was her second straight victory at the PVIAC Individual Championships. She heads to the state meet having won every meet she participated in during the regular season, and she was also awarded as the top finisher on the season in the PVIAC North Division on Thursday.

“I just try to do my best every race,” Loomis said. “I just hoped that would get me the win at the end of the season.”

Loomis opened the day with a finish of 41.43 seconds in the slalom. She followed it up with a time of 31.04 seconds in the giant slalom to finish with a combined total of 1:12.47. 

While she finished comfortably in first, there was some suspense before she was declared the winner. The timing system was inaccurate following the race for numerous skiers, and Loomis had to wait until results were read at the award ceremony to officially find out she took first.

When the results were read, it was a positive one for the Warriors.

Emmy Sisum placed second with a combined time of 1:16.45 while Sofiya Slocik-Gritzner earned a fifth-place finish with a combined time of 1:18.94.

“I had no clue where I was,” Loomis said. “It was fun having everyone in the top five. We did well today.”

Sisum completed the slalom course in a time of 43.74 seconds before earning a finish of 32.71 seconds in the giant slalom. Slocik-Gritzner finished with times of 46.74 seconds in the slalom and 32.20 seconds in the giant slalom. 

“I didn’t expect to do as well as I did,” Slocik-Gritzner said. “I’m happy with how well we all did.” 

Lydie Pinkham and Mae Hoff also finished in the top 10 for the Warriors, with Pinkham taking seventh (1:20.36) and Hoff placing 10th (1:21.52). 

Naomi Den Ouden finished in 17th (1:29.26), Brooke Koshinsky placed 18th (1:29.98) while Caroline Makosiej took 19th (1:31.60) to round out the top 20 finishers for Mohawk Trail. 

The girls’ team was awarded the PVIAC North Division title on Thursday. On the season Sisum came in second, Slocik-Gritzner took fourth, Hoff came in fifth, Pinkham took sixth while Koshinsky came in 10th in the North Division. 

After winning back-to-back state championships, Mohawk Trail has the talent and depth to make a run at a third title on Feb. 27, when it travels to Wachusett Mountain for the 2024 state meet.

“I’m just hoping not to fall,” Sisum said. “We’ll be going for the win and the three-peat.” 

Weston Den Ouden finished in second place at the PVIAC Individual Championship last year and was determined to walk away as the winner during his final year skiing with the Warriors. 

He got the day going with a time of 29.07 seconds in the giant slalom, the top time among all competitors. He closed the day out with a run of 38.97 seconds in the slalom, which was also the fastest time of the day, allowing him to take first place overall with a combined run of 1:08.04.

Like Loomis, Den Ouden was awarded the top placer in the North Division for the season. His performance throughout helped the Warrior boys take first place as a team in the division. 

“It feels good,” Den Ouden said. “It’s kind of sad that it’s my last year but it’s been a lot of fun the whole way through. This is a great way to end it.” 

It was a near perfect day of weather at Berkshire East, with no wind and the sun shining down. The snow was in peak condition, leading to strong performances across the board. 

“The snow was really good,”Den Ouden said. “There wasn’t much to complain about.”

Den Ouden wasn’t the only Warrior to shine on Thursday. 

Fellow senior Gage Patenaude completed the giant slalom in a time of 30.48 seconds and added a finish of 42.46 seconds in the slalom to take third overall with a combined run of 1:12.94. 

Patenaude finished the season in seventh place in the North Division, with Thursday’s performance highlighting his impressive senior season. 

“It felt really good today,” Patenaude said. “I had probably my best season I’ve ever had. I’m super happy with my performance. It was a great day on the hill and I had a ton of fun.” 

Mohawk Trail’s Phineas Tuttman walked away with a sixth place finish on Thursday. He blazed down the giant slalom course in a time of 32.46 seconds and the slalom course in a time of 43.91 seconds for a combined time of 1:16.37. 

“I’m super happy with my performance,” Tuttman said. “I’m glad to be skiing with these two amazing skiers [Den Ouden and Patenaude]. I’m going to be sad to see them go. It’s been a great season. Great people, great coaches. It’s been awesome.” 

Grayson Bishop rounded out the top 10 finishers for the Warriors, placing seventh overall with a combined run of 1:17.62. He had a time of 31.45 seconds in the giant slalom and 46.17 seconds in the slalom. 

Zavel Gardner (32nd, 1:41.14) and Oliver Ferris (40th, 1:50.12) also finished in the top 40 for Mohawk Trail. 

On the season Tuttman placed fifth and Bishop took sixth. 

A tight-knit group, the Warrior boys are looking to join their teammates by winning a state title themselves. 

“We’re all just dedicated as a team,” Tuttman said. “We're all friends outside of skiing and in school. That really helps. It helps to get through dry land before the season to prepare for this.”