MIDDLEBURY, VT – The ski team sits in sixth place after day one of the Middlebury Carnival after the completion of the classic technique and slalom races this afternoon. The Ephs are six points behind fifth place Colby College, and thirty-four points off the pace of fourth place UNH.
The women’s nordic team finally found their stride in the mass start 10K classic race. Alice Nelson ’10 pushed the pace early on and passed a Middlebury skier in the final meters of the race to snag sixth place. Kirsten Johnson ’11 followed, thirty seconds back in tenth place, a season-best result for the sophomore. Liz Kantack ’09 took 23rd place to cap the scoring and ensure the Ephs placed fourth as a team, just five points behind the women from the University of Vermont. Freshman Holly Whitney took 36th place, with sophomores Maddy Wendt and Sarah Tory finishing in 46th and 48th place. For Whitney, Wendt, and Tory, it was each woman’s best classic result of the season. Dartmouth’s Rosie Brennan won the race.
After enduring an hour long wait after the start was delayed for technical difficulties with the grooming machine, the men powered through to a solid performance with three men in the top twenty. Keith Kantack ’11 led the men’s team to fifth place overall with his 12th place finish, outsprinting a Bates athlete in the final stretch. Thirty seconds back, junior Alex Taylor took 16th place, just ahead of teammate Dimitri Luthi ’12, who placed 19th overall. Senior Sam Kapala placed 23rd with freshman Erik Anderson close behind in 30th place and Caleb Lucy ’11 in 50th. The Williams men finished fifth as a team, six points behind fifth place Bates College. UVM’s Franz Bernstein took top honors in the race.
Coach Bud Fisher was pleased with the team results today. “Especially the comeback the women have made after a slow start to the season. The men were lived up to the record they’ve set previously this season and everyone is looking forward to the relays tomorrow to improve as a team.”
The alpine team sat through a lengthy start delay in order to groom the course at the Middlebury Snow Bowl and remove the soft six inches of powder that fell the previous evening to create a firm slalom course. Laurel Carter ‘12, who placed 17th overall, led the women’s alpine team to sixth place in the slalom. Kelsey Levine ’10 took 30th place, with freshman Amy McLaughlin right behind in 31st. Senior captain Kelly Kirkpatrick finished in 36th place. Emily Porter and Annie Hanson both did not finish their races. UVM's Megan Ryley won the race.
The men’s alpine team was led by junior Alex Dyroff and his seventh place finish in the slalom. With Eric Mann and Sean Cummiskey out of the race, after not finishing and being disqualified for missing a date, respectively, the Ephs relied on their depth to pull through for the team score. Sophomore Jeff Putnam stepped up to finish 29th, his best finish of the season, and snagging his first NCAA-qualifying points for placing in the top thirty. Seniors Ian Simmons and Eirik Burrass finished together in 39th and 40th place respectively. The men finished in sixth place overall as a team. UVM's Dave Donaldson skied to the win.
The racing continues tomorrow with the 3 x 5K freestyle relays at the Rikert Touring Center and the GS races at the Middlebury Snow Bowl.
