Day one at the Middlebury carnival, which doubles as the Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association Championships, brought rain and top results for the crew of sophomore cross-country women.
Louisa Hunker led the squad on the flat, fast freestyle course with her best finish thus far, 11th, in the women's 5k freestyle. Right behind her, in 12th place, was Anna Harrington, who also skated to one of her best races of the season.
"It was great to have them end the season with excellent finishes and I think it will make them more confident of their abilities for next season," said Kate Pearson '02.
On the men's side, Stephen Donahue '99 claimed yet another top finish, with a fifth in the 10k freestyle.
"Having my confidence back really helps on race day," said Donahue, who has been the success story of his team.
Freshman Tom Temple, a rookie on the carnival circuit, skied to 12th place, an impressive result.
Pearson and Donahue took their racing up a notch for the classical competition on Saturday, and finished third and fourth, respectively.
"Saturday the rain went away and the course was in very good shape. So it was less of a battle of the elements," Donahue said.
"The classic course was tough, with some challenging climbs in terms of duration. It felt like a very long 15km. You really had to be willing to fight to hang in there," Pearson added.
The Rikert Touring Center hosted the races.
Hans Hansen '00 and Nils Arvold '00 improved on Friday's results by charging up the finish order to eighth and 10th places.
Pearson was the only non-UVM skier to pierce the top three in any of the cross-country races this weekend. Kris Freeman and Tessa Benoit won both freestyle and classical races.
At the Middlebury Snow Bowl on Friday, races were postponed and skiers watched the rain from the lodge. Both the GS and slalom were held Saturday, but the GS results were based on only one run and the slalom course was shortened so that races would not have to be held Sunday.
The Big Green Alpine skiers had trouble finding the top 10, but Jeremy Joseph '00 was the exception. He completed the carnival season with a 12-for-12 record of top-10 results by pulling in a sixth in the slalom and a ninth in the GS.
"[It's] pretty good compared to years past," said Joseph. Maciek Zwiejski '00 ended his season with a tenth place finish in the slalom, while Jeannie Eisberg '01 and Tracy Wilson '02 had season bests with 11th and 12th place finishes in the slalom.
As with the cross-country races, two phenomenal skiers edged the competition by comfortable margins. Brook Laundon of Middlebury won both women's Alpine events, and Brandon Dyksterhouse of Vermont won both men's events.
The University of Vermont garnered the most team points for the sixth time, sweeping the carnival circuit again. Middlebury earned second place on its home courses.
When asked what she thought of the close of the carnival racing season, Gusty Swift '01 answered, "This season went by way too fast. I had a great time this season and I am bummed the carnival season is over. My season is not over until the end of March though."
Swift looks forward to the upcoming NCAA Championships.
The races at Middlebury this past weekend were the last of the carnival circuit. Results will finalize the NCAA Championship roster for each school.
Each discipline -- men's alpine, women's cross-country, etc. -- will send three skiers to compete at the Championships against the best in the nation. The University of Utah hosts the NCAA Skiing Championships in Park City, March 8-12.
