Bend, OR ~ Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 is a day that not only the Nordic team at Paul Smith's College, but specifically, Philip Matthews (Half Moon, NY), will remember forever. It was the day that the Bobcats won both the Indivudual (Matthews) and Team 1.5km Sprint national championship trophies at the 2025 United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) Nationals.
In a year that has seen the team experience two firsthand battles with cancer, they were able to conquer the adversity at hand and come together as a group. Wednesday's win was an emotional moment for the team as Matthews' father recently passed away just days before the team left for the national championships after a year-long battle with cancer. Teammate Jacob Alberga (Saranac Lake, NY) - a 2024 All-American - is also currently in treatment. The team dedicated the win to both Matthews and Alberga.
"This one meant a lot to me since my father passed away two weeks ago, so today I raced for him, although I dedicate my win to my teammate Jacob Alberga who couldn't come out because he is battling cancer," said Matthews when asked about what winning the national championship meant to him.
Day 1 ~ Individual Skate 7.5k
The PSC Women's Nordic team started the week off with incredible racing with first-year skier
Bridget Reusch (Farmington, ME) securing a fifth-place finish followed by senior
Jessie Church (Bethlehem, NH) in ninth place and
Kaisa Bosek (Alexandria, MN) in 19th. The performance lifted the Bobcats into second place on the day with Reusch and Church getting First and Second Team All-American in the process.
The men were in a tight battle, finishing fourth on the day but just nine points out of first. Matthews led the team on the day with a fourth-place finish, followed by Schillaci in 14th as the duo took also home All-American awards.
"What a fantastic start to these Championships for both the men and women - racing at altitude is always difficult for an eastern team but the team has risen to the challenge," said head coach Matt Dougherty.
"The women opened nationals with a brillant performance and really set the tone for the week. The classic sprint was amongst the most challenging conditions to race in and the pool team just dug in and did their best regarldess of conditions," added Dougherty.
Day 2 ~ Classic Sprints
A challenging weather day with fresh overnight precipitation morphed into rapidly detoriating conditions throughout the races with heavy, wet snow and temperatures near the freezing mark, falling at a rapid rate throughout the competition. The changing conditions made it challenging for coaches and wax techs to get the waxes correct, as the differences caused teams to change wax in every round.
Jessie Church led the women with a 12
th place finish followed by
Bridget Reusch in 14
th. Church earned Second Team All-American for her performance on the day.
The men's race was a classic battle of wills as five Bobcats made it into the qualifying rounds.
Philip Matthews,
Diego Schillaci,
Gabriel Lloyd (Charlestown, NH),
Isaac Kristich (Palmer, AK), and
Edison Byrum (Twelve Mile, IN) were in the mix going into the knockout rounds. Matthews and Schillaci were able to advance to the A Final, putting two Bobcats in the final six racers.
With the snow continuing to dump down, the conditions proved extremely challenging. In the A Final, Matthews followed Colorado Mesa Skier Ivar Skaseth and a Wyoming skier up the final climb. Matthews took the inside line on the final downhill turn and caught second place before putting on the gas to catch Ivar in the home stretch just meters before the finish line.
As he pumped his arms and extended through his poles one last time before crossing the finish line, Matthews arched his back slightly and let out a primal scream into the snowy Oregon grey light, realizing he had won the Individual Sprint National Championship.
With Schillaci finishing sixth and Kristich finishing 14th, the Bobcats were also able to repeat as Team Sprint national champions. Matthews and Schillaci earned First Team All-American, and were joined by Kristich as a Second Team All-American.
"It was one of the hardest fought races I've ever done, I had to chase the entire time and after the last hill I was in third, managed to take a better line on a downhill to get the guy in second and catch up to the guy in first, but at the very end on the straight away I saw him take one big pole where his hands were near his feet, basically folded over, and I knew that I had him," recalled Matthews.
"It was great because this was the race that I knew I could win and trained all year for and my team was so amazingly supportive of me all day and it was a victory for them as well, especially when we celebrated in the finish area after the race was over," he added.
Head coach Matt Dougherty reflected on what the day meant to his program and contextualized what the College of the Adirondacks has been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time on such a large scale.
"As we compete out here I can't help but note Paul Smith's College's amazing performance over the last four years of winning 14 team national championship titles and 12 individual national championship titles. This is the direct result of the amazing support from the College and everyone who works there, the development of a world class venue at the VIC, and the support of the Nordic community in the Adirondacks and from our donors and friends. These titles don't belong to the team - they are for everyone who helps us and believes in us. For one of the smallest colleges in the USCSA to win consistently is only because of the love and support from the college and our supporters," said Dougherty.
Up next for the Bobcats is the 15km Classic Individual race on Friday. 10-15 inches of new snow are expected, so it will be another challenging day for the Bobcats to test themselves and what they can do.
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At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith's provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.
