Day 1 of the University of Vermont Carnival saw EISA racers
tackle the demanding sprint course at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.
Amidst falling snow, skiers navigated the 1.5-kilometer course which featured
sweeping downhills and ended with a demanding climb to the finish.
By the end of the day, it was Silje Wilson of the University
of New Hampshire and Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth College who led the field and
won their respective final heats. Dartmouth college dominated both the men’s
and the women’s team races with four racers each in the top 10.
In the women’s sprint, Wilson was dominant from her first
steps in the qualifier to her push over the finish line in the final as she led
each of her heats from start to finish to claim her first victory of the
season. Second place went to Jana Klaiber (UVM) and third to Lydia Blanchet
(Dartmouth). The final was rounded out by Craftsbury skier Kaitlynn Miller in
forth, Lucy Hochschartner (St. Lawrence) in fifth, and Cate Brams (Middlebury)
in sixth.
Dartmouth women won the day with 114 points. Runner up
University of New Hampshire tallied 111 points. Third place went to University
of Vermont with 91 points.
On a day featuring a demanding course and variable weather,
Wilson chose to keep her tactics to a minimum. Each heat Wilson led from the
start, gradually opening up her lead to achieve comfortable margins by the
finish line. While consistently dominant throughout the day, Wilson emphasized
that the heats were not always easy. “The semifinal was the most difficult,”
she said, “I got energy and motivation from all the people cheering that helped
to push me forward when it was difficult.”
After racing a difficult qualifier, Klaiber felt confident
in her ability to carry momentum through the heats as the weather improved, “I
kept getting faster and faster,” she said. Although she felt confident in her
fitness, Klaiber explained that tactics were also key to her success, “I tried
to stay behind others on the downhills and to take the lead on the final
climb.” Each heat the climb proved decisive and gave Klaiber the opportunity
she was looking for to pull away.
In the men’s competition, Stocek powered to his third EISA
win of the season ahead of open racers Ben Lustgarten and Tad Elliot who were
second and third respectively. The EISA podium was rounded out by New
Hampshire’s Tyler Smith in forth and Dartmouth’s Andrew Nadler in fifth. Zach
Goldberg (Dartmouth) placed sixth.
Dartmouth men emerged victorious to end Williams’ team dominance
from the past weekend with 135 points. The university of New Hampshire was
second with 112 points. Williams College was third with 105 points.
For Stocek, it was a challenging path to victory that came
from a strong qualification round, sound strategy in the heats, and scrappy
fighting towards the finish. “I knew that most of the races were going to be
won on the hill,” he said, “I was trying not to start out too fast and to rest
on the downhills to save up for the final climb.” As important as his third
EISA victory of the season was, Stocek emphasized that the largest success of the
day was Dartmouth’s victory in the team race against New Hampshire and
Williams.
Smith also choose the final climb to make his moves through
the heats. “I knew I could relax in the heats and save up for the end,” he
said, “The qualifier was probably the hardest round because it was all out.”
Given the strong winds and falling snow, Smith also emphasized that biding his
time in the pack helped to negate the challenges racers faced from the storm.
“It was really important to be behind people in the heats to be protected from
the wind and the snow.” Friday’s result leaves Smith optimistic and hoping he
can carry his success into his distance racing.
Racing continues Saturday with 10-kilometer individual
starts in the classic technique for both the men and the women.