Halfmoon Skier Crowned Overall Individual National Champion

LAKE PLACID — Halfmoon native Philip Matthews, currently a junior at Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks, was crowned Overall Individual National Champion at the 2026 U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard National Championships in Lake Placid last week.

Matthews’ title is awarded to the athlete with the best combined results across all championship races. He became the third Bobcat in program history to win the overall individual title, joining two-time champion Aidan Ripp and 2024 champion Dolcie Tanguay.

“This past week was a huge challenge for us as a team, but I think we handled it amazingly,” Matthews said. “For the first race, I told the boys we needed to come out of the gate swinging and we carried that energy throughout the week… Winning the overall individual championship was something that I wanted to do since I was a freshman and [I] really focused on that all year.”

Matthews is a graduate of Shenendehowa High School.