Whitecaps covered Decatur’s lake as slalom skiers took the water on Friday, the first day of competition in the Midwest Collegiate Regional Championships. Skiers spent their warm up time debating their opener, trying to pick a high scoring, yet doable pass. Very few skiers ran more than two passes, and some of the top skiers fell victim to the wind and waves on their first attempt. For the women, Katelyn Redes of Grand Valley State took the gold with 2 balls at 22 off, the only women’s skier scoring into shortline. The top three in men’s slalom were Tyler Lorenz, Paul Tierney, and Ben Van Treese, who all managed to snag a couple buoys at 32 off. Saturday and Sunday brought more sunshine and weaker winds. After a mediocre slalom event, the Ohio State University’s men’s team took the trick event by storm, with four skiers scoring in the top seven. The University of Cincinnati climbed up the scoreboard after a strong women’s trick performance. Overall, it was the University of Wisconsin La Crosse that proved to be worthy of the regional title, with a combined team standing of 1st place in slalom, 2nd in jump, and 3rd in trick. They will be accompanied by the Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati in Division I Nationals in Zachary, LA. Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin Madison will accompany the wildcard University of Iowa in Division II.