Pittsfield's Mullen Takes Two Titles at State Alpine Meet
PRINCETON, Mass. -- Pittsfield High's Eliza Mullen Tuesday did what no girl in the commonwealth has done since 2005.
But the achievement was not really her focus at Wachusett Mountain.
Mullen won state title and in the giant slalom and slalom, winning the former discipline by 1.6 seconds and the latter by nearly 2.7 seconds.
It was the first time in 17 years that a girl has won both events at the state meet; the last was Ashley Hawes of Concord-Carlisle.
But Mullen's main objective was not a place on the podium.
"I wasn't really focused on the results," she said. "Because I just wanted to finish. When I focus on the results, I just get in my own head.
"And I just wanted to have fun with my friends because it's our last race together with the seniors."
Mullen led the county's 20-racer (10 girls, 10 boys) at the state meet, where Lenox's Maddie DiGrigoli earned a medal with a fourth-place showing in the slalom.
Mullen became the first Berkshire County skier to win gold at the event since 2017, when Wahconah's Tanner Hill won the slalom. The last Berkshire County girl to take first at states was Pittsfield's Ali Williamson in the slalom in 2015.
Ashland's Tyler Zilinski won the boys GS on Tuesday. Josh Haarman won the boys slalom, leading a 1-2 finish for St. John's Prep, which also had the eighth-place finisher in the slalom.
St. John's Prep cruised to a boys team title. Masconomet, with Amanda Schneider (third in the slalom, ninth in the GS) leading the way, won the girls team crown.
The top Berkshire County racer on the boys side on Tuesday was Monument Mountain's Kitson Stover, who had the league's best finish in the slalom (14th) and placed 20th in the slalom, where Wahconah's Alex Sternerup finished in 16th place.
"It was pretty soft," Stover said of his day on the slopes. "There were a few bumps that got me in the air. Other than that, it was a good run. It was smooth.
"I ski in these kinds of conditions a lot. It definitely plays with the ski a lot. You get stuck in the soft stuff, and it messes with a lot of stuff."
Mullen agreed that the spring conditions on a day when the thermometer hit 58 degrees in Princeton did present a challenge for the racers.
"It's definitely different, because it's a lot softer, and it's harder to go onto edge and dig in and pressure," she said. "It can be annoying for GS and slalom , because that's how you go fast, to push off the icy snow."
While Tuesday wrapped up the high school Alpine season in Massachusetts, the state's top skiers have one more chance to represent their schools -- at the Eastern Regionals at Attitash Mountain in New Hampshire, the weekend of March 9 and 10.
Giant Slalom
Boys Top 10
1. Tyler Zilinski, Ashland, 53.53 seconds; 2. Owen McLain, St. John's Prep, 53.57; 3. Will Harrrington, Hamilton-Wenham, 53.77; 4. Liam Shepherd, Norwell, 53.94; 5. Keegan Sears, Pope Francis, 54.38; 6. Josh Haarman, St. John's Prep, 54.45; 7. Rohan Brown, Brookline, 54.47; 8. Robert Blanchard, Cohasset, 54.50; 9. Tucker Kuftinec, Concord-Carlisle, 54.56; 10. Owen Ludden, St. John's, 54.57
Berkshire County Boys
14. Kitson Stover, Monument Mountain, 54.83; 19. Alex Sternerup, Wahconah, 55.01; 44. Oliver Kirby, Lenox, 56.42; 45. Donald Tanner, Taconic, 56.45; 47. Declan Logan, Monument Mountain, 56.55; 51. Keeghen Scott, Taconic, 56.62; 53. Mitchell Scalise, Wahconah, 56.69; 62. Michael Piretti, Lenox, 57.01; 71. Bronly Boyd, Monument Mountain, 57.48; 83. Owen Tanner, Lenox, 58.31.
Girls Top 10
1. Eliza Mullen, Pittsfield, 54.91 seconds; 2. Jillian Bradford, Nashoba, 53.34; 3. Summer Flannery, Newton South, 55.60; 4. Maddi DiGrigoli, Lenox, 56.13; 5. Johnny Greenberg, Acton-Boxboro, 56.21; 6. Addie Loomis, Mohawk Trail, 56.33; 7. Evie Bernard, Hamilton-Wenham, 56.48; 8. Maggi Brinzey, Chohasset, 56.51; 9. Amanda Schneider, Masconomet, 56.80; 10. Megan Riley, Masconomet, 56.3.
Other Berkshire County Girls
67. Loghan Srzepa, Monument Mountain, 1:00.32; 74. Grace Ungewitter, Pittsfield, 1:00.77; 87. Isabella Scalise, Pittsfield, 1:01.40; 105. Annette Boyko, Monument Mountain, 1:02.41; 108. Ella Hall, Lenox, 1:02.45; 124. Sophia Curletti, Monument Mountain, 1:03.83; 125. Grace Soule, Monument Mountain, 1:03.93; 141. Adelina Scalise-Lampiasi, 1:08.52.
Slalom
Boys Top 10
1. Josh Haarman, St. John's Prep, 45.71 2. Owen McLain, St. John's Prep, 46.49; 3. Rohan Brown, Brookline, 46.70; 4. Tyler Zilinski, Ashland, 46.85; 5. Lukas Schemmel, Winchester, 46.88; 6. Chase Akstin, Central Catholic, 47.28; 7. Mihai Gavala, St. John's, 47.66; 8. Sam Charrette, St. John's Prep, 47.78; 9. Erik Bergstrom, Winchester, 48.11; 10. Owen Ludden, St. John's, 48.38.
Berkshire County Boys
16. Alex Sternerup, Wahconah, 48.97; 20. Kitson Stover, Monument Mountain, 49.24; 38. Michael Piretti, Lenox, 52.10; 39. Oliver Kirby, Lenox, 52.25; 45. Declan Logan, Monument Mountain, 53.24; 53. Donald Tanner, Taconic, 54.52; 57. Bronly Boyd, Monument Mountain, 54.82; 69. Owen Tanner, Lenox, 55.80; 64. Mitchell Scalise, Wahconah, 1:01.50; DNF, Keeghen Scott, Taconic.
Girls Top 10
1. Eliza Mullen, Pittsfield, 46.70; 2. Libby Rogers, Hingham, 49.41; 3. Amanda Schneider, Masconomet, 49.63; 4. Johnny Greenberg, Acton-Boxboro, 49.71; 5. Addie Loomis, Mohawk Trail, 50.05; 6. Kate Robinson, Wachusett, 50.23; 7. Evie Bernard, Hamilton-Wenham, 50.80; 8. Abby Reid, Lunenberg, 51.06; 9. Emmy Sisum, Mohawk Trail, 51.06; 10. Courtney Hoguet, Marblehead, 51.82.
Other Berkshire County Girls
60. Grace Ungewitter, Pittsfield, 58.33; 79. Annette Boyko, Monument Mountain, 1:00.96; 80. Sophia Curletti, Monument Mountain 1:01.03; 81. Loghan Strzepa, Monument Mountain, 1:01.08; 84. Grace Soule, Monument Mountain, 1:01.67; 107. Isabella Scalise, Pittsfield, 1:05.54; 88. Adelina Scalise-Lampiasi, Lenox, 1:09.91; DNF, Maddie DiGrigoli, Lenox, and Ella Hall, Lenox.
Team Rankings
Girls
1. Masconomet Regiona (5 minutes, 28.88 seconds); 2. Mohawk Trail (5:29.96); 3. Lincoln-Sudbury (5:39.99); 4. Newton South (5:40.22); 5. Acton-Boxboro (5:40.83); 6. Lexington-Waltham (5:41.26); 7. Newburyport (5:43.16); 8. East Longmeadow (5:45.70); 9. Pittsfield (5:47.65); 10. Marblehead (5:51.72); 11. Dover-Sherborn (5:53.97); 12. Winchester (5:54.42); 13. King Philip (5:55.64); 14. Hopkinton (6:00.60); 15. Shrewsbury (6:01.66); 16. Wellesley (6:06.95); 17. Monument Mountain (6:09.63); 18. Central Catholic (6:11.09); 19. Norwell (6:31.25); 20. Longmeadow (7:08.35).
Boys
1. St. John's Prep (5:02.99); 2. Saint John's (5:09.58); 3. Dover-Sherborn (5:11.49); 4. Winchester (5:13.72); 5. Newburyport (5:21.25); 6. Monument Mountain (5:26.16); 7. Mohawk Trail (5:31.21); 8. Lenox (5:31.89); 9. Bromfield (5:33.50); 10. Needham (5:40.29); 11. BC High (5:41.29); 12. Wellesley (5:45.19); 13. Central Catholic (5:46.14; 14. Westford Academy (5:46.74); 15. Hampshire Regional (5:48.55); 16. Pope Francis (6:01.51).