Led by seniors Alex Benway (Queensbury, NY) and Alyssa Dausman (Syracuse, NY), the Clarkson University Nordic Ski teams added more hardware to the trophy case as both the Golden Knight Men and Women won National Championships in the 15km Classic on Saturday at the United States Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA) Nationals in Bethel, Maine.

The Golden Knight Men, with 18 points, edged out the University of Wyoming (20), while the Clarkson Women overcame St. Olaf College 18-21 to gain the titles.

Benway led the field of 46 men with a winning time of 41:30 on the Gould Academy Ski Trails. Clarkson placed four consecutive skiers in the 8th through 11 spots. Juniors Andrew Klem (Dalton, MA) and Zach Russo (Fayston, VT) and freshman Brad Denton (Honeoye Falls, NY) earned Top 10 showings with times of 43:56, 44:31, and 44:44, respectively.

Senior Bryan Rose (Honeoye Falls, NY) finished in 11th (44:49) and senior Tim Sick (Chambersburg, PA) placed 13th (45:18).

Clarkson placed four skiers among the Top 10 racers in the women’s event with Dausman finishing second with a time of 49:58. Isabella Smith, of Central Oregon Community College, had the winning time of 48:08.

Senior Andrea Walsh (Underhill, VT) placed seventh (53:10), followed by junior Rachel Bachman (Queensbury, NY) and senior Emily Garrant (Marcellus, NY) in ninth (53:21) and 10th (54:35), respectively.

Freshman Olivia Dawson (Scottsville, NY) and senior Audrey Keene (Hilton, NY) also had strong showings for Clarkson, placing 15th (56:39) and 17th (57:38), respectively among 39 skiers.

Both the Clarkson Men's and Women's teams also won the USCSA Relays.

The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition. In excess of 178 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 5,000 male and female, alpine, freestyle, cross-country, snowboarding and nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually. Team performance is emphasized within the USCSA, a departure from the typical individual or world cup scoring format often found in skiing. USCSA athletes agree that this team orientation fosters a team approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often the mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers.