The conference team skate event was hotly contested on both the men’s and the women’s side as Paul Smith’s College and Clarkson University battled it out on Saturday as the competition lasted only one day due to the impending storm and concerns over heavy ice on the course.

The women’s team skate saw the Bobcats finish in a close grouping. Jessie Church of Bethlehem, New Hampshire finished just off the individual podium in fourth place, followed by Bridget Reusch of Farmington, Maine in fifth, Kaisa Bosek of Alexandria, Minnesota in sixth and Olivia Caprio of Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania in eighth. The Paul Smith’s women defeated the second-place team by a wide margin after losing the last three season by one, four and two points, respectively.

On the men’s side, the Bobcats fell just shy of taking home their fourth regional title in a row as they finished three points behind first-place Clarkson. Paul Smith’s Philip Matthews of Half Moon finished on the podium in second place, followed by Diego Schillaci of New Paltz in fourth and Gabriel Lloyd of Charlestown, New Hampshire in eighth.

“It was a great weekend for the Bobcats and it was was thrilling to see the women get a long-awaited Championship,” PSC Nordic head coach Matt Dougherty said. “Even coming off some serious illnesses they put together a great race.”

Both teams qualified for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association National Championship in Bend, Oregon March 10 to 15.

“The women look to be in the hunt for a fourth year in a row on a podium at Nationals which is amazing. The men had a good weekend, probably their best team race of the season,” Dougherty said.