Contributed Story
SULLIVAN COUNTY — April 1, 2008 — The Monticello boys’ ski team won the Section IX alpine skiing championship on February 14 at Belleayre Mountain and thus represented the section at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) meet, held Feb. 26-27 at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid.
In the sectional meet, the Monticello girls were runners-up to Onteora, which won the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division I team championship for a seventh consecutive year.
Ryan Sonnenschein of Monticello was the individual OCIAA Division I champion. He was also tabbed as the Section IX State Sportsmanship recipient.
Qualifying from Sullivan County for the state alpine meet – held on the actual Winter Olympics trails – were:
For the girls: Haley Heins (Monticello), Samantha Adriaans (Fallsburg/Tri-Valley), Devinne DePuy (Monticello), Kassie Thelman (Sullivan West), Maria Pavese (Monticello, alternate).
And for the boys: Ryan Sonneneschein (Monticello), Christopher Egenes (Fallsburg/Tri-Valley), Richard Heins (Monticello), Colin Bunce (Monticello) and Skylar Glick (Monticello).
Egenes had the best placement in the county, finishing 12th in the slalom run. Sonnenschein, who had the 13th best first run in the slalom, did not finish his second run and failed to place. Also placing were Heins (40th) and Glick (42nd). Bunce also failed to finish.
Sonnenschein likewise failed to finish in the giant slalom race, where Egenes placed 22nd overall to lead the county contingent, followed by Bunce (29th), Heins (41st) and Glick (49th).
On the girls’ side, Heins placed 32nd in the giant slalom to pace the county, one spot ahead of Adriaans. Depuy (57th) and Thelman (61st) followed.
Heins also led in the slalom with a 27th-place finish, followed by Thelman (44th). DePuy and Adriaans did not finish.
Egenes was tabbed to be part of the New York State contingent at the Eastern High School Alpine Championship at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, N.H. on March 14-16.