"We should not go into the season with any expectations other than to eat people alive" said Glenn Randall '09.
At the U.S. Cross Country Nationals held from Jan. 1 to 10 in Soldier Hollow, Utah, three athletes from the Dartmouth ski team qualified for the Junior and Under-23 World Championships in Kranj, Slovenia Jan. 31 to Feb. 5. Glenn Randall '09 skied brilliantly in the 10 kilometer freestyle race, placing 11th in the country and securing himself a spot on the 2006 World Junior Team. Mike Sinnott '07 finished three races in the top 20 and will be competing in the Under-23 World Championships. On the women's team, Alison Crocker '06 qualified for the U-23 Team after skiing three solid races among the top women in the country. Ben True '08 and Kristina Trygstad-Saari '07 also secured top 20 results at Nationals.
"Our team has impressive depth," women's nordic coach Cami Thompson said. With last year's fifth place finish at the NCAA Championship on top of her World Cup experience in December, Crocker should be a force in the East. Trygstad-Saari is returning after a two-year hiatus from skiing, and has already proven her speed with an 11th place finish in the five kilometer freestyle race at Nationals. Lost from the team this season is Carolyn Treacy '06, who will spend the winter in Italy on the Olympic Biathlon Team, but returning skiers Elsa Sargent '07, Susan Dunklee '08 along with freshman Hannah Dreissigacker '09 are all in the hunt for top-10 finishes at the carnival and hopefully a spot on the NCAA team.
The men's nordic team showed its strength at Nationals with impressive performances from Randall, Sinnott and True. Men's coach Ruff Patterson commented that his team really knows how to "improvise, adapt, and overcome."
The team will miss Ben Koons '08 this winter, who has left Dartmouth to represent his native New Zealand at the World Juniors in Slovenia and, hopefully, the Olympics in Torino, Italy. Others, like seniors Zach Hall '06 and Sam Naney '06, are hoping their experience will correlate to top carnival finishes.
The men's alpine team continues to maintain its depth even with the loss of Evan Weiss '06 to the US Ski Team. NCAA slalom champion Dave Chodounsky '08 is back and ready for another year of top carnival finishes. Joining him is a slew of experienced seniors. Karl Johnson '06 and Erik Johnson '06, Travis Gaylord '06 and Pete Anderson '06 all hope for smooth skiing in a sport where anything can happen. "We continue to be one of the top contenders on the Eastern Circuit, but the competition grows in depth every year, making for no such thing as an easy victory," said Karl Johnson. Also in the mix are Scott Linton '09 and Rusty Heise '09, who are preparing for their first collegiate races.
The women's alpine team has faced some tough losses this year due to injuries, but is starting the season with its intensity intact. "Our team is young and ready to go," said women's coach Christine Booker. The tight group of Hannah Tsai '08, Michelanne Shields '08, Sealy Livermore '08, Alexandra Fucigna '07 and Lindsay Mann '07 plan to work together and prove to their competitors that a small team can compete against powerhouses like rival Vermont.
The season starts this Friday, January 20, at the Colby Carnival. The alpine slalom and giant slalom will take place at Sugarloaf Mountain while the cross country events will be held at Sugarloaf Outdoor Center in Maine.
