Paul Smiths, NY (May 7, 2010) - Established in 1947, Paul Smith’s College has a long tradition of success in woodsmen’s competitions, particularly the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Professional and Collegiate Series. With the home-field advantage for the first time in nearly a decade, the Paul Smith’s College woodsmen team dominated the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Northeast Collegiate Challenge producing winners in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS men’s and women’s competitions Saturday, April 24.
Jon Preston of Paul Smith’s College out chopped and out sawed 10 collegiate lumberjacks to win the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Northeast Collegiate Challenge, earning him a spot in the Collegiate Championship to be held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Ore., Aug. 27-29. With this win, Paul Smith’s College will receive a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL.
Preston secured this victory with 40 overall points, just a three-point lead over second-place lumberjack Tyler White of SUNY-Cobleskill. Gabe Darling of Alfred State claimed third place with 31 points and Dartmouth College’s Max Brogen placed fourth with 29 points. Zach Scribner from Finger Lakes Community College rounded out the top five with 25 points.
Preston told ESPNOutdoors.com, "It hasn't set in yet. I've worked really hard for this day and it came and went so fast, I probably won't know how I feel until tomorrow when it all sets in."
Preston’s victory completed a home-field sweep for Paul Smith's College, with Rosalie Santerre winning the second annual STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Women’s Challenge earlier in the day with 31 overall points. STIHL will give a $500 scholarship to Paul Smith’s due to her win, and she will receive a Keech racing ax. Ironically, Santerre wasn't even supposed to be competing in this event, but Paul Smith's original competitor dislocated her elbow two days before, putting Santerre into the top spot with almost no time to train. This was Santerre's first year on the Paul Smith's woodsmen team and her first STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series competition.
Second place honors for the women’s competition went to Kendra Trammel of Finger Lakes Community College with 28 points. Hanna Gauvin of Unity College claimed third place with 22 points and University of Maine’s Sasha Bogdan placed fourth with 21 points. Megan Bujnowski from the University of New Hampshire rounded out the top five with 19 points.
“We had a great Northeast Collegiate Challenge event,” said Brad Sorgen, event organizer for the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series, “Paul Smith’s College provided not only a beautiful landscape for the event, but endless support and some great competition.”
Eleven lumberjacks and 11 lumberjills from regional Northeast colleges and universities converged on Paul Smith’s to contend for the top lumberjack/jill title in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series. The lumberjacks competed in four professional disciplines: the single buck, standing block chop, stock and underhand chop. The lumberjills competed in three professional disciplines: the single buck, stock saw and underhand chop.
Preston was the fifth and final qualifier of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series five regional events. He will go chop-for-chop and saw-for-saw against Kory Garrie of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, the Midwest champion; David Green of Central Oregon Community College, the Western champion; North Carolina State’s Logan Scarborough, the Southern champion, Tim Benedict of Penn State-Mont Alto, the Mid-Atlantic champion; and Tyler White of SUNY-Cobleskill, the wildcard pick to determine the nation’s top collegiate lumberjack in the Collegiate Championship.
The Collegiate Series consists of five regional events and one championship. The complete schedule for the 2010 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series includes:
• Central/Midwest hosted by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in Carbondale, Ill., Sept. 26, 2009
• Western hosted by Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., March 19, 2010
• Southern hosted by the University of Arkansas-Monticello in Monticello, Ark. March 24, 2010
• Mid-Atlantic hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa., April 17, 2010
• Northeast hosted by Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smith, NY, April 24, 2010
• Collegiate Championship in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series at the Oregon State Fair Aug. 27-29
The winner of the each regional Collegiate Challenge event earns a spot in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship.
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STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Northeast Collegiate Challenge Results
Jon Preston, Paul Smith’s College, 40 points
Tyler White,* SUNY-Cobleskill, 37 points
Gabe Darling, Alfred State, 31 points
Max Brogen, Dartmouth College, 29 points
Zach Scribner, Finger Lakes Community College, 25 points
Billy Kunelius, University of New Hampshire, 22 points
Mike Grandelski, University of Connecticut, 18 points
Justin Soucy, University of Maine 17 points
Charles Aznive, Unity College 16 points
Harry Curme, Colby College 14 points
Jack McCulley, SUNY-ESF 14 points
*STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series Championship Wildcard Pick
STIHL Women’s Collegiate Challenge Results
Rosalie Santerre, Paul Smith’s College, 31 points
Kendra Trammel, Finger Lakes Community College, 28 points
Hanna Gauvin, Unity College, 22 points
Sasha Bogdan University of Maine 21 points
Megan Bujnowski, University of New Hampshire, 19 points
Abbey Wallace, Colby College, 17 points
Emily Bonk, SUNY-ESF, 12 points
Bettina Scherer, SUNY-Cobleskill, 11 points
Devon Lagasse, University of Connecticut, 9 points
Ariane Tanski, Alfred State University, 8 points
Alix Perez, Dartmouth College, 4 points
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