The second day of racing at the Middlebury Carnival featured
fresh tracks and rapidly warming temperatures that challenged coaches and
racers alike. At the end of four heats of head to head sprinting in which
racers in teams of two completed six legs of the 1.5-kilometer course, it was
the relay teams from Dartmouth College that took home wins in both the women’s
and men’s races.
Temperatures at Rikert Nordic Center rose steadily throughout
the morning challenging coaches to constantly adjust ski preparation for each
heat. The men’s race in particular saw many teams forego kick wax all together
in favor of double poling on skate skis.
In the women’s race, it was Dartmouth’s team of Lauren
Jortberg and Abigail Drach who placed first with a time of 23:23.3. After
covering an early lead by Hannah Miller of Bowdoin College, the pair were
dominant and led the race to the finish. Second place went to Dartmouth’s
second team of Taryn Hunt-Smith and Emily Hyde. Third place went to University
of New Hampshire’s team of Katrin Larusson and Elizabeth Gill.
Dartmouth College won the team competition with 141 points.
Second place went to the University of New Hampshire with 113 points. Third
went to Middlebury with 80 points.
The men’s race saw fierce competition between Dartmouth’s Gavin
McEwen and Luke Brown and Williams’ Eli Honeig and Braden Backer. Ultimately, it
was Dartmouth that pulled out in a time of 20:52 with a narrow victory ahead of
Williams in second. Third place went to the team of Ian Moore and Henry
Harmeyer from the University of Vermont.
Dartmouth College won the team competition with 130 points.
Williams placed second with 114 points. Third place went to the University of
Vermont with 113 points.
The final week of EISA racing takes place next week at Black
Mountain in Rumford, Maine at the Bates Carnival.