Behind a pair of Top-20 finishes by Sarah Silva and McKinley Carbone, The College of Idaho opened the 2012 USCSA National Championships with a sixth-place team finish in the women’s snowboard giant slalom this morning at Sunday River Resort in Bethel, Maine.

Silva, who earned a pair of All-America honors last season, placed 14th overall with a two-run time of 2:41.11, while Carbone, in her first national championship, placed 16th with a time of 2:43.56.

Westminster claimed the team title by placing three competitors in the Top-12, followed by Sierra Nevada, University of Virginia, Marquette, and Long Beach State.

The C of I men's freestyle team will compete Wednesday in the qualifying runs and bracketed finals of the Skier-X event.