The word "dream" keeps popping up to describe the Dartmouth ski team's season. The Big Green closed out the carnival season at Middlebury this past weekend, floating past the competition once again. With the win, Dartmouth completes the season undefeated. The team also brought home the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Championship, a first for Dartmouth in 25 years.
"It's really been a dream season so far," women's nordic captain Sara Studebaker '07 said. But the team won't rest until after the NCAA Championships, which will take place Wednesday, March 7 through Saturday, March 10 in Jackson, N.H.
The Big Green racked up 928 points this past weekend, taking their lead from the first day of competition and doubling it, leaving the University of Vermont trailing in second with 858.
Middlebury took third, completing the podium order which has remained unchanged through every carnival of the season.
This week's competition began on Friday with incredibly tight races on the alpine side. In the women's giant slalom, Dartmouth put all three scorers in the top 11, racking up 109 points. Michelanne Shields '08 led the way for the Big Green, taking second. Lindsay Mann '07 took seventh and co-captain Alex Fucigna '07 was 11th, but UVM still eked out the win by one point. The University of New Hampshire was third, just one point behind Dartmouth.
"[The snow was] a little soft, but at least in GS the course held up great," Mann said.
In the men's giant slalom, the Big Green had all three of its scorers in the top seven but Middlebury squeezed past, taking first by just one point.
Evan Weiss '06 grabbed third, captain Dave Chodounsky '08 was fifth and Alex Felix '08 was seventh.
"The courses were a little choppy," Felix said. "But the sun was out occasionally ... that puts smiles on people's faces."
Friday's nordic races weren't nearly as close as those on the slopes.
Dartmouth easily outpaced the competition in both the men's and women's races. In the women's 5k freestyle, Studebaker took first, Elsa Sargent '08 was second and Hannah Dreissigacker '09 tied for seventh, giving Dartmouth the win.
"[We were] able to dominate the front of the pack in the races, which made it fun," Sargent said.
In the men's 10k freestyle, Dartmouth swept the top three spots, scoring a perfect 123 points. Ben True '08 snagged first, Glenn Randall '09 was second and captain Mike Sinnott '07 was third.
"It was relatively warm, easy waxing," Sinnott said of the trail conditions.
Because the trails were so fast and easy to wax for, "nobody had the advantage, which is nice at a championship event," he said.
Going into the second day of competition, Dartmouth led UVM by 33 points. On Saturday, the Big Green alpine squad returned for a second day of close races.
The women took second place in the slalom, this time behind Middlebury by only one point and ahead of UVM by a point. Mann brought home the win for Dartmouth. Shields was close behind in third and Hayley Jones '10 was 16th, rounding out the scoring for the Big Green.
In the men's slalom, Dartmouth tied with Middlebury for second place, four points behind UVM. Chodounsky took second behind Greg Hardy of UVM.
Weiss grabbed fifth, and Felix again closed the scoring, taking 10th.
The Big Green crushed the field in the nordic races Saturday, extending its lead. In the women's 15k classic, Carina Hamel of UVM took first but was hounded by Sargent in second, Susan Dunklee '08 in third, Studebaker in fourth and Dreissigacker in sixth. Dartmouth racked up 120 points; Middlebury was second with 107.
In the men's 20k classic, Sinnott closed out his senior carnival tour by adding to his collection of first-place finishes. True took third, Randall was fourth and Ben Koons '08 was fifth, locking in the win for the Big Green. Dartmouth tallied 121 points and UVM took second with 110.
In the end, Dartmouth's ski team combined for a stunning finish, clearing its closest competitor by 70 points. With a flawless carnival season and EISA Championship already under their belts, Dartmouth's skiers will have plenty of momentum going into NCAA Championships. The national championships will bring tough competition from the traditionally dominant western skiing dynasties, but Dartmouth is still looking to extend its dream season.
"A great NCAA finish would just be icing on the cake," Studebaker said.
