ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's alpine skiing team is prepared to the hit slopes for its 2025 season. Bob Cilino '13 takes charge of the squad for his eighth season, and his 16th season as a member of the alpine skiing team in some capacity.  

"We took things in stride and did it last year," Cilino said. "We have kind of a full team now where we can score with combined times, so we'll also go out there and try to compete." 

The women's squad's two members from its 2024 season will return for the 2025 season, Zoe Rainville (Saranac, NY/Saranac) and Yuliia Koreiba (Kyiv, Ukraine/Gymnasium 315). They'll be looking to lead the line once again and score some more points. 

Contrary to last season, they'll have some more reinforcements at hand. Three new skiers enter the fray: Sophia Lazarenko (Buffalo, NY/Park School of Buffalo), Lailah Pollack (Brooklyn, NY/Repertory Company High School for Theater Arts), and Gail Miller (Dayton, OH/Repertory Company High School for Theater Arts), which is just part of an uptick in the recruitment process. 

"We're doing a lot of recruiting and connections with club coaches, high school and academy coaches," Cilino said. "Eventually, it will all trickle down not only to visibility for the school, but also help grow the sport." 

More fresh faces means more opportunities to score crucial points at the races. Plus a more collective group come January 18 at West Mountain will push everyone forward and to be at their best. 

Six weekends of competition lie ahead at four different mountains for the Saxons. The competition remains tough, but the goal remains the same: go out there and enjoy the slopes. 

"It's a sport we're playing and we're out there in the cold tens of days a year, at least four days a week," Cilino said. "We can push ourselves and be in the moment when training ourselves. In the end, if we get in our heads and we're not enjoying it, you'll make mistakes."