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Alpine Skier at 2025 Regionals

Alpine Skiing

Grzelak Bronze, Wildcats Finish Third in Slalom at USCSA National Championship

BEND, OR. - The NMU men's alpine team had another impressive day on the slopes, earning third place as a team and laying claim to a pair of All-Americans in the slalom.

Aaron Grzelak led the way for the 'Cats with a dominant day, earning a bronze medal and a first team All-America honor with his time of 1:24.37. Grzelak opened his race by posting the second fastest run one time (41.46) before crossing the line with the fifth fastest run two time (42.91) to earn a podium spot.

The Wildcats as a team claimed third place with their combined time of 4:19.50, behind Rocky Mountain College in first with a time of 4:14.30 and Babson College with their time of 4:16.63.

Kyan Hopke had an impressive day on the slopes again, finishing sixth with his time of 1:24.81, just 0.35 seconds outside of a first team honor, earning a second team All-America honor. Hopke was fifth after run one with a time of 41.71 before posting the 7th fastest run two time of 43.10 to claim sixth.

Andrew Truman and Reed Heathman finished just 0.55 seconds apart from eachother, with Truman (1:30.33) in 23rd and Heathman (1:30.85) in 28th. Truman entered the second run in 38th before turning in the 20th-fastest run two time to jump up the leaderboard.

After taking a minor spill in his first run, Anthony Petkov turned in one of the most electrifying runs in the second, jumping up 31 spots with a total of 1:42.30 after posting the 42nd fastest second run time 47.04. 

The full list of individual results can be found here, and the full team results can be found here. 

Run One
Grzelak, bib 154, the fourth skier to take off, posted the fastest time at 41.46. Once the rest of the field finished, Grzelak only moved down one position, and would be primed for a podium finish with the second-fastest time.

Heathman, bib 191 posted a fast time of his own, coming across the line at 44.02, the 15th fastest result at the time of his finish. After the remainder of the field completed, Heathman would find himself in 21st, earning himself a spot in the top 30.

Truman had a strong run, posting the 31st fastest time when he crossed the finish line with his run of 45.17. Truman only moved down seven slots after the rest of the field, sitting in 38th ahead of the afternoon. 

Hopke, the penultimate Wildcat from a late starting position,  posted the fifth fastest time when he crossed the finish line with his first run at 41.71, just 0.25 seconds behind teammate Grzelak, and setting up a great position for the team to earn a medal in the later run.

Petkov rounded out the Wildcat skiers as the snow and low visibility rolled back in over the hill. Petkov took a spill toward the bottom of the course before picking himself back up, crossing the line at 55.26 and 99th overall. 

Run Two
Three Wildcats were in the top 30 entering the evening runs with two athletes in the top five, positioned well for solid individual and team finishes. 

Heathman was the first Wildcat skier to go, the tenth to be let out in the second session. Heathman posted the sixth fastest run two result at his time of finishing with a 46.83 for a combined total of 1:30.78, slotting into fifth after he finished. Once the remainder of the field was completed, Heathman's second run time would stand 38th with his combined time placing him in 28th.

Entering the evening in fifth, Hopke was released with his eyes on a podium. At his time of finishing, his second run of 43.10 was fourth fastest and he slotted into third fastest with a combined time of 1:24.81. Once the remainder of the field was completed, Hopke's second run time would prove seventh-best and his overall time would be sixth-best, finishing one spot outside of a first team honor and earning a second team All-America honor. 

Just two skiers later and rounding out the 'Cats in the flip, Grzelak was sent out with just one skier from the top 30 to go after him. At his finish, Grzelak's second run time of 42.91 was third and his combined time of 1:24.37 was second place by just 0.04 seconds behind. Once the remainder of the field was completed, Grzelak's second run time would prove fifth fastest and Grzelak would podium, earning a bronze medal finish and first team All-America honor. 

Truman was the penultimate Wildcat to race in the second run, and would jump ahead of teammate Heathman for the third-fastest team time, posting the 20th quickest run two time (45.15) and 23rd overall finish when he crossed the line with his combined total of 1:30.32. 

Petkov rounded out the evening toward the end of the race, and he threw down a wild ride to finish. His second run time of 47.04 was 46th best, and his combined time of 1:42.30 was good enough for 67th when he crossed the line. 



 
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Players Mentioned

Aaron Grzelak

Aaron Grzelak

Senior
Reed Heathman

Reed Heathman

5' 10"
Junior
Andrew Truman

Andrew Truman

Senior
Kyan Hopke

Kyan Hopke

Freshman
Anthony Petkov

Anthony Petkov

6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Aaron Grzelak

Aaron Grzelak

Senior
Reed Heathman

Reed Heathman

5' 10"
Junior
Andrew Truman

Andrew Truman

Senior
Kyan Hopke

Kyan Hopke

Freshman
Anthony Petkov

Anthony Petkov

6' 0"
Freshman