UVM holds off Dartmouth to close out Bates Carnival

Lead by Bobby Farrell’s win in the men’s slalom, the UVM Catamounts once again claimed the overall team score after the second day of the Bates Carnival.

On a day when six inches of snow fell on course during the race, it was the Dartmouth who amassed the highest number of points in the alpine rankings. First-year Alex Dloughy won first carnival by over a second and her teammates Foreste Peterson, Kelly Moore, and Meg Currie followed her example with third, fourth, and sixth place finishes, respectively.  Brittany Lathrop's (UVM) two consistent runs landed her on the podium in second, while Plymouth State’s Freydis Einarsdotter claimed her first top 5 result. Randa Teschner and Lisa Wesjoe of UNH rounded out a great weekend for the Wildcats in the seventh and eighth position. UVM’s Darquise Denis tied Teschner in eighth to add to Lathrop’s tally and help the Catamounts in their title charge.

With such hard conditions we were bound to see some racers make big jumps from their start bibs, and the day did not disappoint for both women and men. Williams’ Hannah Hunsaker made the top 10 from bib 34, while teammate Isabel Torres and St. Lawrence’s Montana Marzio moved into the top 15 from bibs 47 and 31.

In the men’s race, Bobby Farrell edged out Saint Michael’s (SMC) Guillaume Grand by 0.86 seconds to claim his first win of the season. UNH’s Phillipe Rivet’s fast second run placed him on the podium, just ahead of last year’s slalom leader bib Will St. Germain in 4^th. Robert Cone once again led the Panthers, beating SMC’s Torjus Grimsrud by only one hundredth of a second. Grimsjud forced his way into the top 10 from bib 47, helping SMC to a second place finish in the men’s slalom team score. Thomas Woolson (8^th) and Robert Overing (10^th) joined Kevyn Read (7^th) in the top 10 for Dartmouth, with Woolson and Overing starting bib 35 and 45, respectively.

The first carnival of the season certainly did not disappoint. It was clear how competitive the field is from top to bottom, and I’m sure we will see more new names pop into the top 10 as we go. Let’s see if anyone can keep pace with those Dartmouth women at the Colby Carnival next weekend.