CHARLEMONT — After a stellar regular season, the Mohawk Trail alpine ski team got to shine during the PVIAC Individual Championships on Tuesday at Berkshire East. 

Addie Loomis was the overall winner on the girls side while four other Mohawk Trail racers joined her in the top 10. The Warrior boys also had success with four racers earning top 10 finishes. 

Mohawk Trail was also able to celebrate its regular season accomplishments, as both the Warrior boys and girls teams won the PVIAC North title for the season. 

“Our team has done really well in the past,” Loomis said. “That’s been the same this year.”

For Loomis, Tuesday’s race put an exclamation point on a perfect PVIAC season.

The junior won all seven meets during the regular season and during the individual championship on Tuesday, had the top time in the slalom race to open the day with a run of 43.66 seconds. She also had the fastest time in the giant slalom race of 32.30 seconds. Her combined time of 1:15.96 was the fastest, not just on the girls side, but also among all the boy racers. 

“I just try to challenge myself every race,” Loomis said. “Every race I try individually to push myself and do better than the last one. That benefits the team too.”

The MIAA alpine ski state meet is slated for Feb. 25 at Berkshire East. Having captured back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023 before a runner-up finish last winter, the Warriors have their sights on bringing another trophy back to Buckland. 

“I’m happy with all my finishes,” Loomis said. “Now I’m just getting ready for states. Ultimately the goal is to win but getting top three or top five would be great.” 

Loomis wasn’t alone at the top on Tuesday. 

Mohawk Trail eighth grader Lydie Pinkham completed the slalom race in 45.37 seconds and had a run of 33.95 in the giant slalom, as she earned second place overall with a combined run of 1:19.32. 

“I wasn’t expecting second,” Pinkham said. “It was a bit of a surprise but a good one.” 

It was a self-described slow start to the season for Pinkham, who said she found her footing and has been racing her best heading into the most important stretch of the season. 

“At the beginning of the year I had a bit of a slump,” Pinkham said. “I also have weekend races and I feel like I got out of that slump in a couple races. Now I feel I’m doing better. Unfortunately it happened at the end of the year.” 

Having the state championship meet on their home course is a confidence boost for Pinkham and the Warriors. 

“It’s nice that it’s here,” Pinkham said. “I don't know if I’m ready but I’m excited.” 

Joining Loomis and Pinkham in the top 10 were Brooke Koshinsky, Sofiya Slocik-Gritzner and Grace Sisum. Koshinsky placed seventh overall with a combined run of 1:23.95, Slocik-Gritzner came in eighth with a combined run of 1:24.28 while Sisum placed ninth with a combined run of 1:24.71. 

Caroline Makosiej placed 17th (1:33.17), Jaylynn Peters came in 19th (1:35.73), Ohia Dellert took 28th (1:42.29), Adrian Grant placed 36th (1:50.66), Charlie Bishop came in 42nd (1:56.61), Libby Amstein took 58th (2:06.88) and Alaina Toothaker earned 59th (2:08.40) to round out the finishers in the girls race for Mohawk Trail. 

It was Phineas Tuttman and Grayson Bishop who led the way for the Warrior boys on Tuesday. 

Tuttman had the top performance on the team, earning a third place finish with a combined run of 1:18.14. Tuttman completed the giant slalom in a time of 32.54 seconds and the slalom course in a time of 45.60 seconds. 

Minnechaug’s Ted Holt was the overall winner on the boys side with a combined run of 1:16.52. 

“The goal was to get in the top five,” Tuttman said. “There were a couple kids that put on the burners out of nowhere and I respect them for that. It was definitely a lot of pressure.” 

With fresh snowfall coming down in the Pioneer Valley over the weekend, it made for great conditions at Berkshire East. 

“The snow was perfect,” Tuttman said. “No ice at all. You get to push it a lot more than you usually do. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of energy. It’s always an electric day.” 

With this being his senior year, Tuttman was proud of his performance and said he is looking for another strong showing at states in a few weeks. 

“I started out hot and kept it going,” Tuttman said. “Going into each race and keeping the same energy is hard. I’m happy to go out with a bang for my senior year. Now we get to look forward to states.”

Bishop earned a fifth place finish on Tuesday, finishing in 33.09 seconds in the GS and 46.62 seconds in slalom for a combined run of 1:19.71. 

With all races during the regular season taking place at night, Bishop said he enjoyed the sun shining down during the championship race. 

“Skiing during the day gives you a lot more confidence,” Bishop said. “It’s a lot better because you can see everything.”

After recovering from an injury, Bishop said he’s found his form and is feeling confident on the slopes. 

“I hurt my knee earlier this summer playing baseball,” Bishop said. “It’s good being back and being able to ski. It started out rough but I flipped a switch in my head and it’s been game changing since then.” 

Ben Zarotny and Liam Zarotny also placed in the top 10 for the Warriors. Ben Zarotny came in eighth with a combined run of 1:21.60 while Liam Zarotny settled for 10th with a combined run of 1:24.30. 

Gunnar Triggs came in 14th (1:27.40), Zavel Gardner earned 18th (1:33.82), Oliver Ferris took 31st (1:40.41), Alvin Richardson came in 33rd (1:43.01), Gus Foote took 39th (1:45.69), Xerxes Law finished in 44th (1:48.50) and Calvin Jernstrom placed 53rd (1:52.26) for Mohawk Trail.