Malibu Open – Auburn Edition

The Auburn University Ski Team hosted the Auburn Fall Extravaganza at Divorce Lake in Valley, AL. The Southern & Atlantic Coastal teams could not have asked for a better time in Auburn for the final regular season tournament on the road to Regionals & Nationals. This might be the only lake in the country where the lake resides in one time zone but is run in a neighboring time zone. Let’s just say it’s complicated.

Saturday is a Skiing Day!

Matt Hartel (CLE)

The weekend started off with the men taking to the water for Slalom. Team Alabama took the top 3 spots: Sean Hunter 2.5@39, Will Montavon 1@38 & Brett Stackpole 4@35. Matt Hartel (CLE) 3@35 and Holden Beinhauer (ALA) 1.5@35 rounding out the top 5. 

Brooke Baldwin (ALA)

University of Alabama’s Brooke Baldwin gave everyone a lesson in skiing in a tail wind by putting up a huge score of 2@39. Just 1 buoy shy of the NCWSA & SAC Record! Anna Gay (ALA) (yes, the World Trick Champion) took 2nd with 2@38, Geneva Roach (ALA) 1.5@38, Ashley Stevens (CLE) 3@32 and Hallie Burris (CLE) 2@32 were atop the podium as well. 

Carlos Fidalgo (AUB)

Men’s Trick was almost a clean sweep by Alabama, but Colton Steffensen of Clemson University managed to foil their plans by taking the 5th spot on the podium. William Montavon (ALA) 3,450, Dan Greene (ALA) 2,610, Dan Prochaska (ALA) 1,750, Brett Stackpole (ALA) 1,450, and Colton Seffensen (CLE) 890 take the podium. 

Sydney Melnar (ALA)

Women’s Trick was won by the reining World Champion Anna Gay, with 5,760 points. With 2 more shots at the National Record this season, will she get it? We will see! Brooke Baldwin (ALA) took 2nd with 4,370, Bailey Grathwohl (ALA) 2,520, Geneva Roach (ALA) 1,740, and Nellie Roberts (CLE) rounded out the podium with 1,160.

Flying through the SKY – the BAR was set high!

Nellie Robers (CLE)

Women’s Jump was able to wrap on Saturday, solely because the Auburn team ran such a smooth tournament! Anna Gay (ALA) took 1st with 118’, Brooke Baldwin (ALA) 101’, Nellie Roberts (CLE) 93’, Bailey Grathwohl (ALA) 87’, and Aura Reyna (AUB) 72’ taking home a podium spot for the home team.

Sunday morning the men took to the sky. Freshmen Brett Stackpole (ALA) won the event with a 132’ leap in Tiger Country. BStacks was followed by Dan Prochaska (ALA) 119, James Webber (CLE) 116’, Jack Glendinning (AUB) and Colton Steffensen tied for 4th with an 86’ jump!

Chase Woody (AUB)

Team Results

  1. University of Alabama – 2,980
  2. Clemson University – 2,415
  3. Auburn University – 1,545
  4. Lander University – 245

The full scorebook can be found here

PBs!

Slalom

  • Angel McCallum (CLE) – 4.5@34mph
  • Ernest McCallum (CLE) – 0.5@34mph
  • Cody Ogden (ALA) – Ran his first pass in a tournament, backed it up with another and set a PB with 3@30mph!
  • Chris Gleaton (CLE) – 0.5@28mph

Trick

  • Ashley Stevens (CLE) – 860pts

Jump

  • Ernest McCallum (CLE) – 66’
  • Mark Hanna (AUB) – 51’ 
  • Sarah Switzer (AUB) – 47’

Alumni Spotlight

Austin Rodgers (PTC Alum)

Austin Rodgers, Piedmont Technical College Alumnus and resident SAC driver extraordinaire, gave us all a show in slippery slalom with a score of .5@43off – just half a buoy shy and a few mph slower than his dad’s Slalom World Record! 

THANK YOU!

  • The leadership of the Auburn Ski Team for putting on a great tournament.
  • Auburn’s arch rival (and good friends) – the Alabama Ski Team brought their Malibu TXi for everyone to ski behind.
  • Maddi Extine for the use of her Malibu. 
  • Divorce Lake Ski Club.
  • The chiefs and invited officials for giving another weekend aside to support the collegiate ski community.
  • Thank you to all the skiers who skied, had fun and helped officiate.

Matt Page

I am a the SAC Region Chairman & Kennesaw State University Alum. I currently live in Atlanta and work in consumer product marketing.