Press Release provided by: NYSEF

NYSEF U14 Girls Sweep the Podium in One of the Biggest Competitive Fields To-Date

WILMINGTON, NY (January 29, 2024) – On Sunday, January 28, 2024 three local athletes swept the podium during the annual Hovey Memorial Ski Race at Whiteface Mountain. Hosted by the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF), the Hovey is a long-standing tradition in youth ski racing and celebrated its 61st anniversary this year.

NYSEF Winter Term’s Poppy Hamilton (Whiteface) took first place for the U14 Women and will get her name on the Hovey Memorial Plaque in the NYSEF Training Center at Whiteface Mountain. Her teammates Nora Petrocci (NYSEF Whiteface-Winter Term) and Georgiana Larkin (NYSEF Whiteface-Winter Term) took second and third place respectively.

Open to U10, U12, and U14 ski racers, “the Hovey” as it is known, gathers young racers from across the Northeast to compete and the desire to win is a defining moment in any young racer’s career. Past NYSEF winners include two-time Olympic Medalist Andrew Weibrecht, and Olympians Tommy Biesemeyer, Hailey Hovey Johnson, Patricia Mangan, and Dan Stripp.

U14 Women

*top 3 named above

Top 10 Finishers for the 61st Hovey Memorial Race

4th – Savannah Boevin (West Mountain Racing)

5th – Zoe Kader-Camu (NYSEF Winter Term – Whiteface) 

6th – Evelyn Palma (NYSEF Winter Term – Whiteface) 

7th – Ellie Smith (West Mountain Racing)

8th – Chloe Brown (NYSEF-Gore)

9th – Cecilia Norfolk (NYSEF Winter Term – Whiteface) 

10th – Zoe McGuire (NYSEF-Gore)

U14 Men

1st – Charles Bodnar (Windham Mountain)

2nd – Brooker Cheney (West Mountain Racing)

3rd – Wesley Fuller (West Mountain Racing)

4th – Charlie Edgar (NYSEF Winter Term – Windham)

5th – Leland Carpenter (NYSEF – Whiteface)

6th – William Beebe (West Mountain Racing)

7th – Dillon Morehouse (West Mountain Racing)

8th – Andrew Frey (NYSEF – Belleayre)

9th Samuel Miemis (NYSEF – Whiteface)

10th – Derrick Crivelli (West Mountain Racing)

U12 Women

1st – Mia Mezzetti (NYSEF – Whiteface)

2nd – Addison Mean (NYSEF – Gore)

3rd – Katerina Berry (West Mountain Racing)

4th – Ava Reynolds (NYSEF-Whiteface)

5th – Alegra Alvarado Wilson (NYSEF- Belleayre)

6th – Emma Cheung (NYSEF – Gore)

7th – Charlee Vahaviolos (West Mountain Racing)

8th – Alexandra Dorfman (NYSEF -Gore)

9th – Adelaide Davenport (NYSEF – Gore)

10th – Roxy DeSantis (NYSEF – Whiteface)

U12 Men

1st – Charlie Fuller (West Mountain Racing)

2nd – Olliver Murray (Polar Bear)

3rd – Decla Higgins (West Mountain Racing)

4th – Wesley Sinclair (NYSEF – Gore)

5th – Dustin Hoffman (West Mountain Racing)

6th – Brannen Currie (NYSEF – Gore)

7th – Alex Dudjak (West Mountain Racing)

8th – Extin Leape (Polar Bear)

9th – Antonio Banchs (NYSEF – Whiteface)

10th – Kristopher Schaefer (NYSEF – Gore)

U10 Women

1st – Teagan Smith (West Mountain Racing)

2nd – Grace Geidel (NYSEF – Gore)

3rd – Sevan Kuyumjian (NYSEF – Gore)

4th – Evelyn Currie (NYSEF – Gore)

5th – Kwinn Kawecki (West Mountain Racing)

6th – Shandi Byrne (West Mountain Racing

7th – Abigail Black (West Mountain Racing)

8th – Lila Porreca (NYSEF – Gore)

9th – Alexa Thomson (West Mountain Racing)

10th – Hailey Nolett (West Mountain Racing)

U10 Men

1st – Blake Gallagher (West Mountain Racing)

2nd – Theo Meunier (NYSEF – Whiteface)

3rd – Desmond Currie (NYSEF – Gore)

4th – William Shuket (West Mountain Racing)

5th – Duke Hoffman (West Mountain Racing)

6th – Rory McGuire (NYSEF – Gore)

7th – Jacob Gordon (West Mountain Racing)

8th – Tyler Woschenko (NYSEF – Whiteface)

9th – Luca Vahaviolos (West Mountain Racing)

10th – Harlan Grigor (NYSEF – Belleayre)

The inaugural Hovey Memorial Ski Race was organized by the Lake Placid Ski Club and Sno Birds and held at Mount Whitney in 1963 in Hovey’s honor after he passed away. Tracey Hovey, William’s daughter, continues to honor her father’s legacy by handing out awards to the winners yearly.

About NYSEF

The New York Ski Educational Fund (NYSEF) is a non-profit dedicated to empowering young athletes to understand and reach their potential through skills development and competition in alpine, biathlon, cross country, freestyle skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, and snowboarding. NYSEF offers professional guidance and financial support for athletes to help every young person who passes through the program understand the value of teamwork and community and their role in both. NYSEF is the largest multi-disciplinary youth snowsports organization in the United States. Recognized as a “Gold Certified Club” by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard, NYSEF is one of the organization’s original eight Gold Club members and has been a leader in snowsport education for nearly 50 years. Find more information online at NYSEF.org and on social media channels at Facebook.com/NYSEF and Instagram @NYSEFSnowsports.