A first-year student on the Plymouth State ski team brought home a national championship in the giant slalom in early March at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championships, held at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine.

Josh Bedard, of Laconia, N.H., finished in first place over two giant slalom runs among the 101 skiers to claim the national title. He is the first Plymouth State men’s skier to win a national championship since Pat McNamara earned the slalom and combined alpine individual title in 1985. Doug Karwoski also won the individual combined in 1981.

“We’ve been stronger all year in the slalom more than the GS,” said PSU veteran head coach Kim Bownes, “so I thought we had a chance to win a race this year, but I didn’t think it would be in the GS. Josh is a really good slalom skier, and he’s been working on his GS all year, so it was thrilling to see him win.” —Kent Cherrington