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.
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| 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 23rd 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.
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| 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.
