CARRABASSETT VALLEY, ME – A day of unusual weather and warm temperatures marked day one at the Colby Carnival, where the Williams ski team had a tough start, currently in seventh place going into the final day of racing on Saturday. Junior Alex Dyroff’s fourth place finish and a solid performance by the men’s nordic team highlighted Friday’s slalom and classic races. The Ephs are 36 points out of sixth place, currently occupied by Bates, and 52 points out of their usual fifth place, now held by Colby.
The nordic team worked through a interesting day of warming temperatures and wet snow, making wax conditions tricky. The men’s nordic team was led by two freshmen—Dimitri Luthi in 16th place and Erik Anderson in 18th place. Just three-tenths of a second behind Evan Dethier ’11 followed in 19th place to put three in the top twenty to score for Williams. Alex Taylor ’10 took 21st place, with Sam Kapala ’09 in 32nd and Keith Kantack ’11, returning from illness, in 46th place.
With temperatures hovering around 40 degrees by the start of the women’s race, selecting the right skis and correct wax became difficult. The women’s nordic team was led by Kirsten Johnson ’11 in 14th place, the highest finish of the day for the nordic team. Liz Kantack ’09, a little over a minute back, was 37th, with Fiona Worcester ’09 in 47th place to score for the team. Holly Whitney ’12, Alice Nelson ’10, and Sarah Tory ’11 finished 50th, 53rd, and 56th to close it out for the Ephs.
The alpine team’s day was abbreviated by strong winds that closed the lifts and forced the race to be limited to one run of slalom. Alex Dyroff ’10 had the top finish for the team in fourth place overall, just two-tenths of a second off the podium. Sean Cummiskey ’12 and Jim Whitledge ’09 backed him up with 17th and 25th place results, while Eirik Burrass ’09 and Eric Mann ’09 stuck together in 36th and 38th place. Jake Koshland ’09 did not finish his run.
The women’s alpine team was led by freshman Laurel Carter in 15th place. Emily Porter ’10 in 19th place and Annie Hanson ’11 in 31st place also contributed to the team score. Kelsey Levine ’10 and Amy McLaughlin ’12 had to hike and finished near the end of the field, while Kelly Kirkpatrick ’09 was disqualified.
The team will compete tomorrow in the giant slalom and mass start freestyle races to conclude the Colby Carnival and the regular season.
