WESTMINSTER — The back-to-back defending state champion Mohawk Trail girls alpine ski team relinquished its crown on Tuesday at the MIAA Championships at Wachusett Mountain, though the Warriors weren’t far away from making it a three-peat. 

Addie Loomis earned a fifth-place finish in the slalom to get the day going and added a sixth-place finish in the giant slalom, while teammate Emmy Sisum walked away with a ninth-place finish in the slalom. Those stellar performances weren’t enough send another state championship trophy back to Buckland however, as Masconomet Regional narrowly edged out the Warriors for first place on the team side.

Still, Mohawk Trail — one of the smaller schools in the state — walked away with a state runner-up finish.

“We’re really happy with second,” Sisum said. “Teams change every year. We’re lucky enough to have a good enough team for three years in a row to even place.” 

While many in the Commonwealth were celebrating the 60 degree weather that hit the region on Tuesday, it made for rough conditions on the ski slopes. 

With the snow slushy and slow moving, racers had to make adjustments throughout to handle the course. 

“The course was really soft,” Loomis said. “Every year has something different in it. This year the [giant slalom] was a big challenge. You had to be a lot lighter on your skis. We don’t race anywhere like here.” 

Loomis completed the slalom course in a time of 50.05 seconds and the giant slalom in a time of 56.33 seconds. Sisum’s time in the slalom was 51.06 seconds while she added an 11th place finish in the GS (57.10). 

“The conditions weren’t ideal,” Sisum said. “It was the same for everybody. The GS wasn’t what we’re used to. The GS here is a lot flatter. You have to have more weight and tucking. We’re used to a more technical course.”

Also for Mohawk Trail in the slalom, Lydie Pinkham placed 48th (57.41), Sofiya Slocik-Gritzner came in 58th (58.21), Brooke Koshinsky took 100th (1:04.14), Naomi Den Ouden finished in 110th (1:06.21) and Caroline Makosiej took 119th (1:08.97). 

In the GS, Slocik-Gritzner took 27th (58.01), Mae Hoff came in 35th (59.06), Pinkham placed 82nd (1:01.15), Den Ouden took 101st (1:02.23), Makosiej came in 112th (1:02.80) and Koshinsky came in 114th (1:02.88). 

“As a team we did really well,” Loomis said. “We should be really happy with this. Individually we can always do better.” 

The Mohawk Trail boys didn’t have the day it hoped for going in, but still had a pair of racers earn top 10 individuals to go with a seventh-place team finish.

Weston Den Ouden was the top Warrior finisher on Tuesday, placing 24th in the giant slalom (55.36) and 12th in the slalom (48.57). Gage Patenaude earned a 38th place finish in the GS (56.13). 

Phineas Tuttman walked away with a 58th place finish in the slalom (54.96) and a 93rd place finish in the giant slalom (58.72). 

“It was a rougher one for the boys today,” Tuttman said. “It was just so hot out there. For GS especially, it was hard. You have to have some weight with how slushy it was. It’s hard for some people at this mountain.” 

Grayson Bishop took 78th in the slalom (57.47) and 101st in the giant slalom (59.11) while Ben Zarotny rounded out the day for the Warrior boys with a 115th place finish in the giant slalom (1:05.62). 

For Bishop, getting to compete against the best in the state was worth the experience.  

“It was a tough day,” Bishop said. “The conditions were really tough. It’s fun racing at states. It’s more competitive than the normal league racing. All the kids here are good and it was a good day. Definitely a learning experience.”

St. John’s Prep of Danvers was the team winner on the boys’ side, followed by St. John’s High School of Shrewsbury.

The Mohawk Trail boys capped off a season where it won the PVIAC League North title, just as the girls did. Tuesday won’t diminish how well the season went. 

“I love all my teammates and coaches,” Tuttman said. “I feel bad for the seniors where it’s their last hurrah. Other than that it was great. I love seeing the girls succeed today.”