The St. Lawrence University alpine ski team will soon be headed to Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY and Camp Fortune in Ottawa, ON for the 2012 training camp. The Saints, who will be anchored by junior Ashley-Kate Durham and senior captain Matt Dodge, have outstanding talent and depth heading into the new campaign.

Durham is putting together a fantastic skiing resume at St. Lawrence, as she logged a pair of third place finishes in her sophomore year including a podium finish inthe Slalom at the 2011 NCAA Championship in Stowe, VT. The Timmins, ON native became the second student-athlete to earn a podium finish in the alpine ski team's history.

Junior Ann West returns after having two top-15's last year and nearly qualifying for the national championship races. Senior Mackenzie Irwin was injured throughout the 2011 season, but is expected to be at full strength and contend in the slalom. Meanwhile, sophomore Caroline Barry made some great strides forward last year and skied very well during November training.

The Saints added three first-year students on the women's side including Allison Visconti of Ridgefield, CT, who is expected to make an immediate impact. Kelly Appenzeller and Maria Hillenbrand are both expected to compete for spots on St. Lawrence's carnival team.

"I'm excited about the potential that the women's team has this year," said St. Lawrence head coach Willi Steinrotter, now in his third year with the program. "Last year, we had two top-3 finishes in GS at the carnivals, whereas this year, I feel we can consistently contend for a spot on the podium."

On the men's side, Dodge looks to lead the Saints throughout the 2012 campaign. Dodge recorded three of his top collegiate finishes last winter including two top-20's in GS. The Meredith, NH native will be joined by classmates Scott Houser and Jeremy Lawless, who are both expected to score for the Scarlet and Brown on a consistent basis.

The sophomore trio of Dustin Martin, Ben DeFlavio and Nick Scalia gained tremendous experience in 2011, competing in nearly every carnival. The three combined for six top-25 finishes in their rookie seasons and will be in contention for carnival spots every week.

Coach Steinrotter, who will be assisted again in 2012 by former Saint captain Graham Flinn, added a pair of first-year students to the roster. Myles Trainer of Ludlow, VT and Loudon Fruth of Huntsville, UT both have the talent to work their way into the carnival roster.

"In my three years at St. Lawrence, this is arguably the most talented group top-to-bottom that we've had," said Coach Steinrotter. "All of the guys have potential to qualify for NCAA Championships. Matt has been doing a fantastic job leading our team in the pre-season and we expect his efforts to pay off this winter."

The Saints will open the 2012 carnival season on Friday, January 20 at Sunday River for the Bates Carnival