Followed every step of the way by its new unofficial mascot named Axel, a stuffed Dartmouth bear sent by a fan, the club figure skating team took third place at the U.S. Figure Skating Intercollegiate Team Championships last weekend in Adrian, Mich.
The Big Green finished third out of nine teams with 114.5 points, just one behind second-place Boston University. The University of Delaware took home the championship with a final score of 132 points.
“I think even more so this year, than other years, there was a really positive but still competitive environment,” Kelsey Anspach ’15 said.
The Big Green, Terriers and Blue Hens were clearly in control of the competition, as the fourth place team from Adrian College finished with just 73 points.
The team saw success across levels throughout the two-day tournament. Schools are allowed 35 starts, which they can allocate however they like across the various events.
“Our goal was to do our personal best and to leave everything out there,” co-captain Caroline Knoop ’15 said. “We trained so hard leading up to this competition, and I think it showed.”
Dartmouth took home first place in both the high and intermediate team maneuvers and third in the low maneuvers. The event, rare outside of college competition, combines different team members in six individual elements for an overall score.
“It’s the essence of the team,” Anspach said. “I always loved skating that way where you’re all on the ice together.”
Dartmouth accumulated 13 points across the three events, more than any other team.
There were also plenty of individual successes. In her first year on the team, Maddie Thornton ’17 won first place in the novice ladies free skate and short program.
Armin Mahbanoozadeh ’17 also had a pair of podium-topping results in the senior men’s short program and free skate.
“Armin’s performance is so fun to watch,” Kristen Nehls ’14 said. “He’s a phenomenal skater, and it’s really amazing to see that level of expertise.”
Mahbanoozadeh, a former Team USA skater, has a large following, including a Japanese fan club. Some of his fans traveled to Michigan to support him in the event, presenting him with the stuffed bear.
Mahbanoozadeh is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
The team also picked up nine points on a one-two finish from Christine Mozer ’16 and Anspach in the junior solo dance.
Knoop and Anspach finished first and third, respectively, in the novice solo dance to continue to build Dartmouth’s score.
Anspach is a former member of The Dartmouth staff.
Kirsten Seagers ’15, Justine Obr ’17 and Victoria Rackohn ’14 also won top honors in the junior ladies short program, pre-juvenile ladies free skate and preliminary solo dance, respectively.
Knoop and Seagers scored 10.5 points for Dartmouth in the junior championship ladies free skate by finishing second and third, respectively, in the high-level event that included two bonus points for scoring competitors.
Knoop, who skated to the soundtrack from “Out of Africa” (1985), overcame a technical malfunction in her music that kept replaying the same 10-second clip on a loop for the last half of her program.
The team left campus Thursday and returned at 1:30 a.m. Sunday night.
Nationals is the team’s only opportunity during the season to see and compete against people outside of the East Coast.
