Day one of the 2017 Dartmouth Carnival was relay day as EISA
schools competed in a 3x5-kilometer relay on the challenging course at
Craftsbury Outdoor Center. In the men’s race it was host Dartmouth College who raced
to a commanding victory. In the women’s race, the University of New Hampshire
pulled ahead to take first place.
Cold air and fresh, hard packed tracks greeted racers Saturday
morning. The course at Craftsbury presented skiers with a rolling hills,
followed by a long sweeping decent, followed by two final kilometers of
climbing back into the stadium.
Early in the men’s race it was Silas Eastman of Colby
College who put his team out front after lap one. He was pursued by Fabian
Stocek of Dartmouth College. On lap two, Dartmouth’s Gavin McEwen stormed to
the front and held it, in the process skiing the fastest lap of the day. Cal Deline
finished the job for the Big Green as he skied to first in 36:43.0. Dartmouth
continued their dominance by taking second place with another relay team. Third
place went to Williams College.
The women’s race ex3perienced numerous lead changes that led
to a dramatic final kilometer. Fresh from the Junior World Championships, UVM’s
Alayna Sonnesyn led through the first lap. On the second lap, it was Dartmouth’s
Abigail Drach who seized the lead, skied the fastest lap of the day, and handed
over to Lauren Jortberg. Ultimately, it was UNH’s Silje Wilson, an accomplished
short distance racer, who raced the fastest final lap to give New Hampshire the
win. Second place went to Dartmouth and third to the University of Vermont.
Racing continues tomorrow as the Dartmouth Carnival combines
with the season’s final Eastern Cup weekend for classic interval start races.
Men will race 10-kilometers and women will race 5-kilometers. The men’s race
will begin at 11:00 and the women’s at 12:30.
More details on day one to come.