LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- The 2015 NCAA skiing championships started Wednesday with the first Nordic events and continued Thursday with giant slalom.

 

Representing Williams for the first time in the national races, was senior Christoph Lentz.

 

Head Alpine coach Kelsey Levine said that "the competition was fierce," with top collegiate skiers competing at an elite level, but that Lentz "fit right in."

 

Lentz struggled on his first run, clocking in at 1 minute 21.51 seconds, about 12 seconds back from the leaders. However, it came together for the senior in his second run where he shaved off 12 seconds for a time of 1:11. His total time amounted to 2:32.51, about 15 seconds back from Robert Cone of Middlebury, who won the race in a total time of 2:16.79.

 

Lentz was 24th for the day, scoring seven points and ensuring that all Williams athletes posted top 25 results in the first half of NCAA racing for the week. Lentz was the 10th Easterner to finish, a result that reflected many of his early season performances.

 

Lentz's 7 points puts the Williams Alpine men in 12th overall and added to the 29 points the Williams Nordic skiers scored yesterday for a total of 36 points. As a whole, Williams is now in 13th while the University of Utah leads with 241 points.

 

On Friday, the Nordic athletes have long (15 kilometers for the women, 20 kilometers for the men,) mass-start classic races that will officially wrap up the 2015 Nordic season.