UVM Dominates Final EISA Nordic Championship Race

Ripton, VT

The EISA Nordic season concluded today in Ripton, Vermont with last day of racing at the Middlebury College Carnival. The season wrapped up with a Men’s 20 km and Women’s 15km Classic Mass Start. Racers used the same 5 km loop that was used for yesterday skate race, with a slight modification to the first loop. Instead of climbing the challenging A level climb on course, racers bypassed it on the first loop. Presumably organizers did this to avoid sending athletes in a tight pack down the extremely icy slope that follows the A climb.

In temperatures just rising above freezing, the men’s race went out first. Control of the lead pack was quickly taken by the men of the University of Vermont, but it was Eli Hoenig of Williams who took control for the latter half of the race. Though he put in a spectacular performance it was not enough to hold off Jack Hegman of UVM. Hegman out powered Hoenig to the line, beating him by just 3 tenths of a second to take the win. Third place went to Jorgen Grav of UVM, who finished just 6 seconds back of Hoenig. Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth took fourth, while Cole Morgan of UVM rounded out the top five.

Cole Morgan (4) leads the pack in the men's 20 km classic mass start. 

In the women’s race it was Olivia Amber of Colby who rocketed off the front of the pack to take the early lead. Amber would eventually settle for eleventh, as the day belonged to the women of UVM. They swept to victory on the day with a perfect score, taking places one through four. Iris Pessey raced to her third podium of the season, taking the win just over a second ahead of teammate Mary-Kate Cirelli. Top seeded Alayna Sonnesyn took third, ahead of Stephanie Kirk in fourth. Corey Stock of Dartmouth rounded out the top five.

Iris Pessey celebrates her win as she crosses the line ahead of teammate Mary-Kate Cirelli in the women's 15 km classic mass start 

Overall it was the University of Vermont who owned the weekend, taking home the carnival and conference wins with 989 points. Dartmouth finished second with 826 points, while the University of New Hampshire finished third with 749 points.

With the EISA season complete, the top Eastern athletes will head to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for NCAA Championships March 9^th through 12^th. 

UVM Claims Middlebury Giant Slalom

While Dartmouth edged UVM in yesterday’s slalom, the Catamounts turned the tables on the Big Green today in the giant slalom, winning both men’s and women’s races to help UVM to the top of the overall team standings after strong showings in the morning’s nordic freestyle event.

Dartmouth's Kelly Moore

In the final EISA women’s giant slalom, Dartmouth’s Kelly Moore returned to the podium for the second time this weekend to win by 0.95 seconds. Colby’s duo of Sierra Leavitt and Mardi Haskell followed in second and third, leading the Mules to a second place in the women’s team standings. Middlebury’s Lexi Calcagni had her best finish of the year in fourth, only 0.06 seconds behind Haskell. Mille Graesdal led UVM in fifth as the Catamounts placed three in the top 10 to claim the team victory by only two points over Colby. Her teammate Brittany Lathrop followed in sixth after a fast second run, and Laurence St. Germain added to her win in the slalom with an eighth place. UNH’s Randa Teschner posted the second fastest second run which landed her a seventh place finish, only 0.04 seconds behind Graesdal. Bates’ Kelsey Chenoweth ended up ninth behind St. Germain, and Plymouth State’s Freydis Einarsdotter claimed the tenth position. Middlebury’s Elle Gilbert pleased the boisterous home crowd by jumping from bib 25 to finish eleventh in her senior home carnival.

UVM's Will St. Germain

On the men’s side, Will St. Germain won his first EISA giant slalom of the year to lead UVM to another victory in the GS team standings. Yesterday’s slalom winner Rob Cone followed in second, only 0.14 seconds back. St. Germain’s teammate Sandy Vietze finished third overall by only 0.26 seconds, winning the second run after starting bib 23. Saint Michael’s Guillaume Grand finished fourth, and UVM’s Bobby Farrell ended in fifth from bib 16. Many of the front runners after the first run were unable to finish a tricky set on the second run, and Farrell was one of quite a few who took advantage. Middlebury’s Riley Plant followed suit in sixth, only 0.08 seconds behind Farrell overall. Chris Steinke of UNH had his best GS result in seventh, as did Plymouth State’s Max Martin in eighth. Hunter Black led Dartmouth in ninth after starting bib 21, and Saint Lawrence’s Nicholas Stenicka vaulted from bib 44 to claim his first top 10 of the year. Just out of the top 10 by a mere 0.06 seconds came Colby-Sawyer’s Kenny Wilson for his best finish of the year in eleventh.  

As we close this chapter of the 2016 EISA alpine circuit, we much first congratulate all the seniors at all the schools for their tremendous careers. Congratulations too to all the members of the EISA first and second team members. For many, the focus now shifts to NCAA Championships in Steamboat Springs from March 9-12, where the best from EISA will compete against the western schools for the national championship trophy.

Pokorny Lone Skier to Break UVM Sweep

Ripton, VT

The EISA Nordic circuit headed into the post season today with the EISA Championships and NCAA Regionals at the Middlebury College Carnival. The races were contested at the Riker Nordic Center in Ripton, Vermont. Despite battling torrential downpours and warm temperatures late in the week, the organizers were able to put together a full 5km race loop. With temperature dipping into single digits last night, racers were treated to hard, fast tracks for the day’s races.

The men were underway first with their 10 km skate, and there was no stopping the University of Vermont. Jorgen Grav led a UVM sweep of the podium, ahead of current skate leader Jack Hegman. They were closely followed by teammate Cole Morgan who completed the sweep. The powerful Dartmouth pairing of Fabian Stocek and Callan Deline rounded out the top 5 in fourth and fifth respectively.

Jorgen Grav of UVM on his way to the win in the men's 10 km skate

In the women’s 5km skate it was Annie Pokorny of Middlebury who took the win at her home carnival. She held off a charge of University of Vermont women who swept in to take places second through fifth. Current skate leader Alayna Sonnesyn raced to second, 8.5 seconds back of Pokorny. She was followed by Iris Pessey who finished third, less than two seconds ahead of Mary-Kate Cirelli in fourth. Senior Stephanie Kirk rounded out the top 5.

Annie Pokorny on her way to first in the women's 5 km skate.

Races will resume tomorrow at Rikert Nordic Center with the Men’s 20 km Classic and Women’s 15 km Classic Mass Starts. 

Dartmouth Claims NCAA Regional Slalom At Middlebury

For the second week in a row,  Darmouth won both the men's and women’s team slalom on a day initially put in doubt by pre-race weather. The NCAA regional championships started slowly, with the race pushed back an hour because of snow. Many thanks must be said to all athletes, coaches, and especially the Middlebury race crew for making today happen.  

Middlebury's Rob Cone

After the snow was pushed away and the sun came out, Middlebury’s Robe Cone shone for the home crowd as he claimed victory after winning the second run by over half a second. Bobby Farrell, leader after the first run, finished second, 0.92 seconds behind Cone overall. The Dartmouth duo of Brian Mclaughlin and Kevyn Read followed in third and fourth place, 1.09 and 1.40 seconds behind Cone. In yet another tie on the EISA circuit, UNH’s Chris Steinke and UVM's Will St. Germain shared the fifth position.  Dartmouth solidified their lead as Thomas Woolson and Brian Francis finished seventh and eighth, respectively, only 0.07 seconds apart from each other. After placing 16^th first run, Plymouth State's Max Martin had the second fastest second run to vault into the ninth position, and Saint Michael's Guillaume Grand completed the top ten.

Plymouth State's Freydis Einarsdotter

In the women’s race, Laurence St. Germaine won her third straight EISA slalom, this time by 2.08 second over Plymouth State’s Freydis Einarsdotter. Einarsdotter skied extremely well at the bottom of the second run to jump from seventh to second. Dartmouth’s Kelly Moore made a similar move with her second run to claim third place, clipping Colby’s Mardi Haskell by only 0.01 seconds. Genevieve Frigon led a flurry of UNH skiers with her fifth place finish. Her teammates Lisa Wesjoe and Randa Teschner followed in seventh and eighth as UNH claimed second in the women’s team score.  Alexa Dlouhy, still wearing the SL leader bib since the second carnival, slipped in between the three UNH skiers as Dartmouth took a narrow lead over the Wildcats by only four points. Williams’ Hannah Hunsaker was fourth after the first run, but ended the day in ninth after a second run mistake. Dartmouth’s Foreste Peterson finished tenth, only 0.06 seconds behind Hunsaker overall.

As we head into tomorrow’s giant slalom, Dartmouth leads UVM by 31 points, with UNH only 2 points behind the Catamounts. There’s plenty in store for the final day of the EISA alpine circuit, so stay tuned. 

Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bibs for the Middlebury Carnival

Women's Leader

Foreste Peterson - DAR

Men's Leader

Dom Garand - UVM

Women's Leader

Alexa Dlouhy - DAR

Men's Leader

Colin Hayes - MID

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jorgen Grav - UVM

Women's Leader

Alayna Sonnesyn - UVM

Men's Leader

Jack Hegman - UVM

The Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib is worn by the highest ranked EISA skier in each event in the current season. The season long champion in each event is awarded the Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib at the completion of the EISA Championship.

EISA Skiers of the Week - Williams Carnival

Alpine

Mille Graesdal UVM - 4th GS, 11th SL

Photo: UVM Athletics

Kevyn Read DAR - 6th GS, 3rd SL

Photo: Dartmouth Athletics

Nordic

Annie Pokorny MID - 1st Pursuit

Photo: Middlebury Athletics

Fabian Stocek DAR - 3rd Pursuit

Photo: Dartmouth Athletics

Dartmouth Dominates Williams Carnival Slalom

The EISA alpine circuit traveled to a new venue for the second half of the Williams Carnival, and the atmosphere at Berkshire East did not disappoint. Unseasonably warm temperatures, bright sunshine, and even a hibernating bear at the start of the course all highlighted what turned out to be a big day for the Big Green of Dartmouth.  

Middlebury's Colin Hayes

There might have been a black bear at the start, but it was a panther that climbed to the top of the podium in the men’s race. Middlebury’s Colin Hayes won his first carnival of the season, 0.22 seconds ahead of Dartmouth’s Brian Mclaughlin. Mclaughlin was ahead after the first run, but Hayes’ fast release from the steeps of Berkshire East onto the flats was enough to vault him into the top position. Dartmouth’s Kevyn Read capped a great weekend in third, while Williams’ Bryan Bailey thrilled the home crowd by finishing fourth. Will St Germain led UVM in fifth, followed by his teammate Max Roeisland in sixth. Middlebury’s Ghassan Gedeon-Achi set the tone for his teammate Hayes’ eventual win as he jumped from eighteenth after first run to seventh overall as the Panthers ended the day in second, only two points ahead of third place UVM. Saint Michael’s Danny Duffy posted the fastest second run to finish tied for eighth after placing 23^rd after the first run. Dartmouth’s Brian Francis made a similar move, tying with Duffy after starting bib 32. Guillaume Grand of Saint Michaels rounded out the top 10, only 0.01 behind Francis and Duffy.

Dartmouth's Alexa Dlouhy

In the women’s race, Laurence St. Germain won her second straight EISA slalom, 1.22 seconds ahead of Dartmouth’s Kelly Moore. For the second day in a row, the Dartmouth women’s team finished top of the overall alpine standings as they placed three women in the top 6 finishers.  Alexa Dlouhy - wearing the red SL leader bib - finished third, only 0.07 seconds behind her teammate Moore.  Plymouth State’s Freydis Einarsdotter won the second run to finish fourth, only 0.09 seconds behind Dlouhy. Colby’s Mardi Haskell once again led the Mules in fifth after she posted the second fastest second run. After winning yesterday’s GS, Dartmouth’s Foreste Peterson also showed why she is one of the most consistent performers on the EISA circuit by finishing sixth. UNH’s Randa Teschner and Genevieve Frigon led the Wildcats in seventh and eighth to lead the Wildcat women to a third place overall team finish. After starting bib 32, Elise Tefre of UVM used a strong second run to end the day in tenth.

As the second day of the Williams carnival concludes, we look now to the final EISA races of the year at Middlebury for the NCAA regional championships. Tune back in on February 26 and 27 as the EISA circuit wraps up with an overall team title and NCAA championship qualifications still to be decided. 

Familiar Faces Top Podium in Classic Pursuit

Lake Placid, NY

The Williams College Carnival continued today with both genders completing their two day pursuit with a 5km classic. Today’s start order reflected yesterday’s finish, with skiers racing to cross the line first for the win. The day dawned warm, and throughout the race day the threat of rain hovered in the air.

The women’s race was underway first, with yesterday’s winner Alayna Sonnesyn of the University of Vermont starting almost 17 seconds ahead of her teammate Mary-Kate Cirelli. Despite the head start, it was bib 3 Annie Pokorny of Middlebury who put in the fastest time of the day for the win. Sonnesyn held onto 2^nd, while Cirelli managed to stay on the podium in 3^rd. Katrin Larusson of the University of New Hampshire put in the second fastest time of the day for 4^th place. Lydia Blanchet of Dartmouth held onto her 5^th place from the day before.  

Annie Pokorney of Middlebury skis to first in the 5km Classic Pursuit

In the men’s race the top 4 remained unchanged with Jack Hegman of UVM expanding his lead on teammate Jorgen Grav to take the win. Grav managed to hold off the fastest skier of the day, Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth, to hold onto 2^nd. Despite a strong race, Stocek remained in 3^rd, staying ahead of Cole Morgan of UVM. The big change in the top five was Eli Hoenig of Williams, who charged up from 11^th place to 5^th.

Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth on his way to the fastest 5km classic of the day

Overall it was the University of Vermont who took the win with 992 points, over Dartmouth College with 919 points. The University of New Hampshire raced into 3^rd with 720 points.

The EISA nordic circuit moves into the post season next weekend with the EISA Championships and NCAA regionals at the Middlebury College Carnival. 

UVM Men, Dartmouth Women Emerge in Front After Tight Williams Carnival GS

On a slightly shortened GS hill at Jiminy Peak with another great snow surface, only 0.03 seconds separated the women’s podium and the top six men were within half a second in what proved to be possibly the closest alpine race so far this season. 

Dartmouth's Foreste Peterson

GS leader Foreste Peterson claimed her second GS victory of the year, this time by only 0.01 seconds over her Dartmouth teammate Kelly Moore. UVM’s Laurence St. Germain had the fastest second run to finish third, only 0.03 seconds behind Peterson. Fellow Catamount Mille Graesdal had her best GS finish of the year in fourth, and Colby’s Sierra Leavitt also had a personal best result in fifth, only 0.05 behind Graesdal.  Elise Tefre of UVM ended in the sixth position, just ahead of Dartmouth’s Hannah Melinchuck. Melinchuch had the second fastest second run to jump from the 24^th start position to seventh, beating UNH’s Lisa Wesjoe by only 0.01 seconds. Colby’s Mardi Haskell finished back to back with Wesjoe for the third race in a row, this time in ninth to Wesjoe’s eighth, and Libby Gibson made sure that Dartmouth once again put four women in the top 10. Dartmouth’s Maise Ide capped a great day for the Big Green women as she jumped from bib 31 to 13^th.

UVM's Dom Garand

As in the women’s race, the GS leader bib reigned supreme for the men. Dom Garand once again won a carnival GS as UVM put three in the top four finishers. Garand won by 0.10 seconds in front of Middlebury’s Rob Cone, who placed second for the second week in a row. UVM’s Morgan Megarry and Max Roeisland came in the third and fourth place positions, only 0.03 seconds apart from each other. Saint Michael’s Guillaume Grand won the second run to finish fifth, only 0.02 in front of Dartmouth’s Kevyn Read. Read had the second fastest first run behind Garand, but made a mistake second run to end the day in sixth. UVM’s Will St. Germain finished seventh, followed by Dartmouth’s Thomas Woolson. Bryan Cookson led UNH in ninth, only 0.03 seconds behind Woolson. Robert Overing followed up his great weekend at Dartmouth with a tenth place, and Saint Lawrence’s Kei Kullburg just missed out on the top ten from bib 23, only 0.04 seconds behind Overing. The Boston College mens team also had a great day as Carter Robertson and Keith Schuman jumped from bibs 51 and 42 to finish 14^th and 16^th, respectively.

Going into tomorrow’s SL at Berkshire East, UVM leads the overall team standings by 22 points over Dartmouth with UNH in third, a significant 64 points behind Dartmouth. But on a new venue to the EISA circuit, anything can happen.

Long Climbs Challenge on First Day of Williams Carnival

Lake Placid, NY

The EISA Nordic circuit was back in action today, this time for the Williams College Carnival. In a now too familiar course of events, the Williams Carnival was forced to move from its original venue due to lack of snow. Instead of Prospect Mountain the races were contested on the manmade snow loop at the Lake Placid Ski Jumping Complex.

The 2.5 km course, which winds its way up the backside of the jump complex landing hill, climbs for the first half before descending quickly and technically into the stadium below. With both the men and women racing four loops, each gender climbed roughly 700 feet over the course of their race. Today’s 10km skate served at the precursor to tomorrow’s 5km classic pursuit. Racers were under pressure to put in strong performances to set up for tomorrow’s pursuit start.

Though the day dawned in single digits, by the time the women went off at 11:30, temperatures had turned balmy. With classic leader Kelsey Phinney noticeably absent from the field, the top of the podium was up for grabs. Alayna Sonnesyn of the University of Vermont took the opportunity and raced to first in dominating fashion, winning by 18 seconds over teammate Mary-Kate Cirelli. Annie Pokorney of Middlebury snagged the final podium spot, just 1.2 seconds back of Cirelli. UVM’s third scorer, Iris Pessey, raced into fourth for the Catamounts, followed by Lydia Blanchet of Dartmouth less than 2 seconds later.

Mary-Kate Cirelli (43) leads teammate Stephanie Kirk on her way to 2nd place

By the time the race was underway the temperature had risen so much that some men were opting for t-shirts, including men’s skate leader Jorgen Grav. While Grav raced to a strong second place finish it was his UVM teammate Jack Hegman who took the top spot for the day, gapping the field by almost 17 seconds. Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth finished third for his fourth carnival podium of the season. Mirroring the women’s race UVM put its three scorers in the top four with Cole Morgan taking fourth for the Catamounts. The top five was rounded out by Dartmouth’s Callan Devine.

Jack Hegman races to 1st in the 10 km Skate

In tomorrow’s 5km classic pursuit racers will start in today’s order of finish with skiers attempting to make up time lost today. The winner will be the first racer to cross the finish line. Women race at 10 am, while men race at 11:15 am. 

Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bibs for the Williams Carnival

Women's Leader

Foreste Peterson - DAR

Men's Leader

Dom Garand - UVM

Women's Leader

Alexa Dlouhy - DAR

Men's Leader

Guillaume Grand - SMC

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jorgen Grav - UVM

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jorgen Grav - UVM

The Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib is worn by the highest ranked EISA skier in each event in the current season. The season long champion in each event is awarded the Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib at the completion of the EISA Championship.

EISA Skiers of the Week - Dartmouth Carnival

Alpine

Laurence St-Germain UVM - 1st GS, 1st SL

Photo: Vermont Athletics

Dom Garand UVM - 3rd GS, 1st SL

Photo: Vermont Athletics

Nordic

Olivia Amber CBC - 2nd 15K Classic

Photo: Colby Athletics

Eli Hoenig WIL - 2nd 20K Classic

Photo: Williams Athletics

Strong days for Darmouth Men, UNH women in Dartmouth Carnival Slalom

On what was arguably the best hill surface of the season at the Dartmouth Skiway, the women’s SL race ended with an identical podium to that from yesterday’s GS. UVM’s Laurence St. Germaine won both runs to claim the top overall position by a whopping three seconds over Colby’s Mardi Haskell and Lisa Wesjoe of UNH. The top five fell into place after quite a shuffle after many of the front skiers from first run failed to finish. Randa Teschner finished fourth for the second day in a row, only 0.04 behind her teammate Wesjoe with the third fastest second run. Williams Hannah Hunsaker had her best finish of the season in fifth, and UNH’s Genevieve Frigon ended in the sixth position. With Frigon, Teschner, and Wesjoe all in the top 6, UNH women dominated the team standings and ended the day 27 points over second place Colby.  Plymouth State’s Freydis Einarsdotter’s fast first run landed her the seventh place finish, just ahead of Dartmouth duo Hannah Melinchuk and Kelly Moore. Bates’ Kelsey Chenoweth had a strong day for the Bobcats in tenth, only 0.90 seconds behind fourth place.  It was also a good day for Dartmouth’s Libby Gibson and Middlebury’s Lexi Calcagni, who jumped from start positions 41 and 57 to the fifteenth and sixteenth positions respectively.

A Vermont Catamount once again climbed to the top of the podium in the men’s race as Dom Garand won his first EISA SL race of the year by only 0.05 seconds over Dartmouth’s Brian McLaughlin. Mclaughlin won the second run, and his teammate Robert Overing capped a great day for the Darmouth men by finishing fourth. Dartmouth won the men's SL team standings by only 6 points over UVM. Middlebury’s Colin Hayes had his best finish of the year in fourth, and UNH’s Philippe Rivet finished fifth in another tight men’s race. Only one second separated the top 12 racers, and the top 18 were all within 2 seconds of Garand. Saint Michael’s talisman Purple Knight Guillaume Grand once again punched in another top 10 result in sixth, and Middlebury’s Rob Cone added to his second place in the GS with a seventh in today’s SL. UVM’s Max Roeisland finished eighth to help UVM claim the team overall win for the entire carnival. Behind Roeisland came a flurry of skiers improving on their start positions. UNH’s Jay Ogle finished ninth from bib 22, Williams’ Bryan Bailey had his first top 10 result from bib 25, UVM’s Griffin Brown jumped from 25 to 11, and Plymouth State’s Jonathan Kellock finished twelfth from bib 27.

Looking forward to next weekend’s Williams carnival, will UVM claim their second carnival in a row? Will Dartmouth once again triumph, or might we see a new name at the top of the overall team standings? Make sure to tune back in on February 19 and 20 as the alpine circuit travels to Jiminy Peak and Berkshire East. 

Frigid Conditions Can't Stop Nordic at Dartmouth Carnival

Craftsbury, VT

The EISA returned to Craftsbury Outdoor Center this weekend for the 106^th Dartmouth Winter Carnival. With just one day of racing this weekend, it was all on the line in today’s distance races. In anticipation of extremely cold weather the race organizers chose to move race times up, trying to get ahead of dropping temperatures that threated to fall below the legal race limit of -4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Though still challenged by the lack of snow, organizers were able to expand onto a 3.2km loop for today’s races. The expanded loop was more challenging than last weekend’s, adding a new climb and a few twists that, when repeated over the course of 5/6 laps, made for a challenging race.

In temperatures hovering around zero, the men’s 20 km classic mass start got underway at 9:30 am. The race was tightly contested with the top 5 all coming in within 19 seconds. After trailing Eli Hoenig of Williams College for most of the race, Jack Hegman moved ahead to take the win in 47:33.0 for the University of Vermont. Hoenig finished 2^nd in 47:39.4, followed by Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth College in 47:45.3. Peter Holmes of the University of New Hampshire, and Jorgen Grav of UVM rounded out the men’s top five in 4^th and 5^th respectively.

Eli Hoenig leads on his way to 2nd in the men's 20 km

The women’s 15 km classic race played out in a similar fashion, with the top five all finishing inside a 20 second window. Classic bib leader Kelsey Phinney held on to her lead, finishing first in 44:59.0. She held off a chase by Olivia Amber of Colby College who finished 2^nd in 45:03, just seconds ahead of Mary-Kate Cirelli of UVM. Katrin Larusson of UNH raced into 4^th, followed by Mary O’Connell of Dartmouth in 5^th.

Kelsey Phinney celebrates her win in the women's 15 km classic

The University of Vermont returned to dominance, taking the win on the weekend with 888 points, 30 points ahead of second place Dartmouth.

EISA Nordic racing will resume February 19th with the Williams College Carnival. Due to poor snow conditions at Prospect Mountain the venue has been changed to the Lake Placid Ski Jumps. 

Dual Wins for Vermont in Dartmouth GS puts Catamounts in the Lead After Day One

Dartmouth may have claimed victory at Vermont’s home carnival over the last two weekends, but UVM made a strong case to return the favor after the first day at the Dartmouth Skiway. Morgan Megarry and Laurence St. Germaine both won in the men’s and women’s GS to give the Catamounts a 40 point lead over second place UNH.

Colby's Mardi Haskell

St. Germaine won the women’s race by only 0.44 seconds over Colby’s Mardi Haskell, followed by UNH’s Lisa Wesjoe in third, 1.04 seconds out of the top spot. Randa Teschner helped UNH to second place in the overall team score by finishing fourth, only 0.07 seconds behind her teammate Wesjoe. Just behind UNH’s duo came a flurry from Dartmouth, with Kelly Moore, GS leader Foreste Peterson, and Libby Gibson finishing fifth, sixth, and eighth, respectively.  UVM’s Elise-Woien Tefre had the second fastest run to jump from eleventh to seventh, and her teammate Mille Graesdal finished ninth. Dartmouth’s Hannah Melinchuk had her first top ten result of the year in tenth after starting bib 35.

Middlebury's Rob Cone

In the men’s race, UVM’s Megarry won his first carnival GS of the year by half a second over Middlebury’s Rob Cone. Dom Garand - still wearing the leader bib from Week 1 - finished third, 0.80 seconds behind his teammate Megarry. In yet another extremely stacked top 5, UVM’s Max Roeisland and Dartmouth’s Brian McLaughlin tied for fourth, only 0.01 seconds behind Garand. Saint Michaels’ Guillaume Grand’s fast first run landed him another top 10 in sixth, followed by three UNH Wildcats. Philippe Rivet, Jay Ogle, and Bryan Cookson all finished within a second of each other in seventh, eighth, and ninth. Middlebury’s Chris McKenna rounded out the top 10. Looking through the top 20, Saint Lawrence’s Graham Hayes more than halved his bib to finish 18^th, and while Colby’s Sam Glaisher vaulted from bib 64 to 19^th place.

As the second day of the Dartmouth Carnival looms, less than 100 points separate the top 5 teams in the overall standings. UVM is out front, but UNH, Dartmouth, Middlebury, and Colby are all in hot pursuit. 

Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bibs for the Dartmouth Carnival

Women's Leader

Foreste Peterson - DAR

Men's Leader

Dom Garand - UVM

Women's Leader

Alexa Dlouhy - DAR

Men's Leader

Bobby Farrell - UVM

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jorgen Grav - UVM

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jorgen Grav - UVM

The Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib is worn by the highest ranked EISA skier in each event in the current season. The season long champion in each event is awarded the Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib at the completion of the EISA Championship.

EISA Skiers of the Week - UVM Carnival - Nordic

Nordic

Lydia Blanchet DAR - 3rd 10K Classic, 1st 5K Freestyle

Patrick Caldwell DAR - 4th 10K Classic, 1st 10K Freestyle

Photo: Dartmouth Athletics

Dartmouth Victorious in UVM Carnival

Craftsbury, VT

The University of Vermont Carnival concluded today at Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Both the men and the women arrived under grey skies to race a 10 km individual start classic race. With start intervals reduced to 15 seconds to accommodate the more than 450 racers, the race loop was fast and chaotic. Unseasonably warm temps forced skiers to choose between klister and skate skis for the race. With some racers opting to double pole their race on classic skis, they were challenged by the lone steep hill which forced all but the best to herringbone.

In the women’s 10 km classic it was Alayna Sonnesyn who took the win, becoming the lone UVM woman to make the top 5 on the day. Half a second off the pace it was Middlebury skier Annie Pokorny, who finished second ahead of yesterday’s winner Lydia Blanchet of Dartmouth. Corey Stock of Dartmouth finished 4^th, well ahead of current classic leader bib holder Kelsey Phinney of Middlebury.

The men’s 10km race was once again dominated by UVM and Dartmouth, with the two teams claiming 8 out of the top 10 spots. Cole Morgan of UVM took the top spot, narrowly edging out teammate Jorgen Grav. Fabien Stocek of Dartmouth took the last place on the podium, ahead of teammate Patrick Caldwell. The men’s top five was rounded out by Peter Holmes of the University of New Hampshire.

On the weekend it was Dartmouth College that emerged victorious. They once again denied the University of Vermont, this time at their home carnival.

Racing resumes next weekend with the 106^th Dartmouth Winter Carnival. The circuit will return to Craftsbury Outdoor Center for the one day carnival with a women’s 15km and men’s 20km classic races.

Dartmouth and UVM Dominant in first Day of UVM Nordic Carnival

The EISA nordic season resumed today with the University of Vermont Carnival. Once again hindered by this winter’s lack of snow, the races were relocated from the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, VT. Despite poor weather and short notice, the crew at the Craftsbury outdoor center pulled together a high quality 2.4km loop on which to host the event. Racers were challenged beyond the usual with the college races being contested concurrently with an Eastern Cup and a Supertour race. Both circuits draw the top racers in the country, and the event pitted current college athletes against the best to come before them.

In the women’s 5km skate it was a new face on top the podium, with Lydia Blanchet of Dartmouth charging to her first win in 11:54.2. She held off current skate leader Kelsey Phinney of Middlebury who raced to second in 11:57.7. Corey Stock of Dartmouth finished third, narrowly edging out Annie Pokorney who returned to race for Middlebury. Two more Dartmouth skiers followed, as Mary O’Connell and Emily Hannah raced into 5^th and 6^th. They were followed by a wave of skiers from the University of Vermont as Iris Pessey, Alayna Sonnesyn, Mary Kate Cirelli, and Stephanie Kirk swept places 7 through 10 for the Catamounts.

In the men’s 10km the top 5 was dominated by UVM and Dartmouth. Patrick Caldwell returned to Dartmouth and took the win in 20:42.9. He was trailed by Jorgen Grav who finished 2^nd in 21:32.9. He was followed by Oscar Friedman and Fabien Stocek of Dartmouth, who finished their respective races in 21:59.2 and 21:59.6. Jack Hegman and Cole Morgan raced into 5^th and 6^th for UVM. Patrick Mcelravey led the Middlebury men with his 7^th place finish just ahead of yet another UVM skier, Remi Salacroup. Callan Deline raced to 9^th for Dartmouth, while Eli Hoenig of William’s led his team in 10^th.

Racing resumes tomorrow with the men’s and women’s 10 km classic.

Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bibs for the UVM Carnival - Nordic

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jorgen Grav - UVM

Women's Leader

Kelsey Phinney - MID

Men's Leader

Jack Hegman - UVM

The Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib is worn by the highest ranked EISA skier in each event in the current season. The season long champion in each event is awarded the Edgewise/Winterfell/EISA Leader Bib at the completion of the EISA Championship.

EISA Skiers of the Week - Alpine - UVM Carnival

Alpine

Foreste Peterson DAT - 3rd GS, 2nd SL

Photo: Dartmouth Athletics

Max Roeisland UVM - 1st GS, 1st SL

Photo: UVM Athletics