ALFRED, NY -- The Alfred University men's alpine skiing season is quickly approaching, with plenty to look forward to. They look to build off 11th and 12th place finishes in slalom and giant slalom races at regionals last season respectively.

AU will have two returning men and two new men take to the slopes. Bob Cilino '13 will continue being at the helm in his 10th season as Head Coach, and 17th season as part of the Alpine Skiing program in some capacity.

"We've got a good group of people to hang out with," Cilino said. "It will be a fun group to be with for the season. Our core focus is personal growth and enjoying skiing still."

Kevin Voegelin (Alleghany, NY/Alleghany-Limestone) returns for as the lone senior for the program on both the men's and women's side in his third season. Garrett Farabaugh (Abington, PA/Abington Senior) also returns for his second season in the program.

Newcomers this season include sophomore Vinci Armas (Winter Garden, FL/Horizon) and first-year Logan Lane (Hillsboro, NH/Hillsboro-Deering). It gives Cilino a unique group of men to build up together to succeed on the slopes this season.

"Across the board, we want everyone to ski well and do well in their course and be safe," Cilino said. "We work on drills and fundamentals a lot during the preseason. We'll work out a lot of kinks, and we're looking forward to the start of the season."

With the season quickly approaching, the Saxons will look to put up some solid times while having some fun. At the same time, growth and improvement is at the top of everyone's minds for everybody's success as the season rolls on.

Alfred University will first take on the giant slalom course at West Mountain this Saturday, before getting into Slalom mode at West Mountain the following day. They'll head back to West again in early February, along with trips to Labrador Mountain, Greek Peak Resort, and Bristol Mountain. AU will prep for six weeks leading up to their second competition at Bristol on February 21 and 22 for the USCSA Mideast Regional Championships in giant slalom and slalom respectively.