2013 NCAA Championships at Middlebury Schedule

The schedule for 2013 NCAA Skiing Championships, hosted by Middlebury College, is now available here.

UVM: Not the Smoothest Road to a National Title

UVM: Not the Smoothest Road to a National Title

by David Donaldson
Former Catamount and future member of the Middlebury Ski Team


UVM claims its first national championship in 18 years (photo by C.J. Feehan)

             For the first time since 1994, the University of Vermont has won a team National Championship. The 6th in the school’s history, UVM Skiing asserted unbelievable dominance across all the events. Every team that made up the Catamount machine this season picked up a podium result. Not only were there two individual national titles but also four runner-ups.
After the overwhelmingly tremendous flop last season on their home turf of Stowe, Vermont, this win proves all the more powerful for Catamount Nation. The season was marked with enormous success on the hill. Two NCAA competitors (Jonathan Nordbotten and Elli Terwiel) also picked up World Cup points this season. Sean Higgins, left off the championship roster in favor of freshman Bobby Farrell, won his first carnival race as a junior and finished no worse than 6thin all but two collegiate races. The Nordic team especially can breathe a sigh of satisfaction and relief as they will be graduating seven seniors this season.
 Despite all the success on the hill, the road to this title has not been a smooth one. Travis Dawson, who was forced to sit out last season with a blown ACL and MCL, traveled and missed the UVM Carnival to compete at the Nor-Am Cup series in Vail only to shatter his wrist. Kristina Riis-Johanneseen and Elli Terwiel both suffered concussions during the season. Kate Ryley turned her thumb into something one might expect to see on an episode of AMC’s series The Walking Dead. And the beginning of the season was marred by Hurricane Irene, which washed away men’s captain Colton Hardy’s home in Jamaica, Vermont. Who better to shake the hand of President Barack Obama on behalf of his native Vermont and Catamount Nation?
In addition to the already emotionally charged atmosphere, long time friend of Kate Ryley and Johnny Davidson (as well at Paul Atkinson of UNH and Mackenzie Irwin of St. Lawrence) and member of the Canadian National Ski Cross team tragically lost his life in Switzerland competing in a World Cup race just hours before the first run of the NCAA championship slalom. Nik Zoricic hit the last jump in the World Cup race and missed the landing, striking fencing and a wall of snow, an impact which proved to be fatal. Family and friends within the tightly-knit community that is Ontario Ski Racing will feel bitter sweet victory as Kate Ryley is crowned National Slalom Champion and Johnny Davidson wins a National Championship he has pursued with all his heart as both an athlete and coach with the program. Congratulations on the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication to UVM and its incredible list of alumni. And condolences to the family of Nik Zoricic, who everyone in the world of skiing is thinking of right now.

EISA All-East Teams & Awards Announcement


The Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) has announced its All-East First and Second Team honors as well as individual discipline points leaders, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year awards for the 2012 season:


EISA All-East First Team Alpine
Geordie Lonza, Williams
Rebecca Nadler, Harvard
Kristina Riis-Johannessen, Vermont
Kate Ryley, Vermont
Elli Terwiel, Vermont
Bobby Farrell, Vermont
Sean Higgins, Vermont
Tim Kelley, Vermont
Ben Morse, Dartmouth
Jonathan Nordbotten, Vermont

EISA All-East First Team Nordic
Sophie Caldwell, Dartmouth
Lucy Garrec, Vermont
Amy Glen, Vermont
Annie Hart, Dartmouth
Caitlin Patterson, Vermont
Franz Bernstein, Vermont
Patrick Johnson, Middlebury
Eric Packer, Dartmouth
Sam Tarling, Dartmouth
Gordon Vermeer, Dartmouth

EISA All-East Second Team Alpine
Laurel Carter, Williams
Ashley-Kate Durham, St. Lawrence
Marie-Elaine Lepine, New Hampshire
Annie Rendall, Dartmouth
Elise Tefre, Vermont
Paul Atkinson, New Hampshire
Kevin Drury, Vermont
Andrew McNealus, Middlebury
Hig Roberts, Middlebury
Fredrik Sandell, St. Michael's

EISA All-East Second Team Nordic
Caroline Carpenter, St. Lawrence
Erika Flowers, Dartmouth
Anja Gruber, Vermont
Elizabeth Guiney, New Hampshire
Beth Taylor, Bates
Dylan Grald, Vermont
Alex Howe, Vermont
Ben Lustgarten, Middlebury
Dimitri Luthi, Williams
David Sinclair, Dartmouth

Alpine Giant Slalom Points Leader
Kate Ryley, Vermont
Bobby Farrell, Vermont

Alpine Slalom Points Leader
Geordie Lonza, Williams
Tim Kelley, Vermont

Alpine Rookie of the Year
Elli Terwiel, Vermont
Bobby Farrell, Vermont

Nordic Freestyle Points Leader
Caitlin Patterson, Vermont
Patrick Johnson, Middlebury

Nordic Classic Points Leader
Lucy Garrec, Vermont
Patrick Johnson, Middlebury

Nordic Rookie of the Year
Annie Pokorny, Middlebury
Will Wicherski, Williams

Coaches of the Year
Ed Grees, Williams
Andrew Gardner, Middlebury
Ruff Patterson, Dartmouth

Championship selections revealed - NCAA.com

Skiers of the Week—Middlebury Carnival/EISA Championships

Alpine

Kate Ryley UVM - 1st SL, 1st GS
Photo: UVM Athletics
 
Jonathan Nordbotten UVM - 1st SL, 3rd GS
Photo: UVM Athletics



Nordic

Lucy Garrec UVM - 1st 15k Classic, 2nd 5k Freestyle
Photo: UVM Athletics

Patrick Johnson MID - 1st 10k Freestyle, 1st 20k Classic
Photo: Middlebury Athletics

EISA Championships Day Two Recap

EISA Championships/Middlebury Carnival Day Two Recap

The Middlebury Panther lays down a solid forerun

HANCOCK/STOWE, Vt. — Under steady snowfall and gusting winds, the University of Vermont claimed its second consecutive and 32nd EISA Championship in the program's history on Saturday (Feb. 25) with alpine victories by its two Toronto natives and a win in the women's Nordic race. Vermont led the charge totaling 955 points followed by Dartmouth with 848 points. Middlebury and New Hampshire, who have battled all season long for the coveted third place result at carnivals, tied with 724.5 points. 
2012 EISA Champions UVM Skiing

Vermont's Kevin Drury of Toronto, Canada charged into the lead in the men's giant slalom after the first run and held onto the victory with a steady performance in the second. It was his first win of the season and second straight EISA giant slalom title. Drury remarked, "In training this week, I started focusing on the basics again to get some constancy down. On the bottom of the course, I knew it was bumpy from watching the girls, so I was trying to be really smooth and let my skis run. The last couple races, I've lost my ski, so I just wanted to be smooth over those bumps." Graham Scott of St. Lawrence whose previous best result had been a ninth place finish barrel rolled from the 20th starting position into second overall. He won the second run, punching his ticket to NCAA Championships, and turned out the best performance from a St. Lawrence male alpine athlete in over a decade. Vermont's Jonathan Nordbotten was third.

Holy crow, Graham Scott, welcome to the podium!

Kate Ryley, also of UVM and born and bred in Toronto, won her second race of the weekend in the women's giant slalom. She overtook first run winner and her teammate, Kristina Riis-Johannessen, who finished second overall. New Hampshire's Jenna Kantor has been knocking on the door of the giant slalom podium all season, and she finally secured her much earned third place result after winning the second run.

The classic races at the Trapp Family Lodge were downright brutal for all competitors with heavy snowfall and wind plaguing best efforts. On the challenging conditions, Vermont's Caitlin Patterson noted, "It was snowing an inch per hour throughout both Nordic races, with serious wind blowing snow into the tracks and in the stadium, and the times were some of the slowest I've ever seen for a 15k and 20k. I heard that the temperature dropped just as the women were starting, so there was no time to adjust wax even if we had realized the change. While a few people managed to have pretty good skis, many of us out there had problems with icing on the uphills and dragging skis on the downhills."

Despite the weather, Vermont managed to claim two podium slots in the women's 15k classic with Lucy Garrec's win and Amy Glen's third place finish. Dartmouth's Sophie Caldwell was second. In the men's 20k, Patrick Johnson of Middlebury secured his second EISA title of the weekend with the victory. Dartmouth's Gordon Vermeer and David Sinclair finished second and third, respectively.

Middlebury Alpine Men waiting it out for awards

Coaches at several programs, including Vermont, Middlebury, and the University of New Hampshire, now face the tough call of selecting three of their qualified skiers to compete in each event at the NCAA Skiing Championships in Bozeman, Mont. to be held March 7-10. Official team rosters nationwide will be confirmed by Monday (Feb. 27).

Team scores at the conclusion of the EISA Championships/Middlebury Carnival:
Vermont - 955
Dartmouth - 848
Middlebury - 724.5
New Hampshire - 724.5
Williams - 539.5
St. Lawrence -518.5
Colby - 502
Bates - 488
Harvard - 313.5
St. Michael's - 295.5
Bowdoin - 183
Maine Presque Isle - 131
Plymouth State - 128
Boston College - 111
Colby-Sawyer - 70
Clarkson - 19
UVM Women's Alpine strikes a pose

EISA Championships Day One Recap

EISA Championships/Middlebury Carnival Day One Recap

HANCOCK/STOWE, Vt. — The University of Vermont assumed its familiar position atop the rankings after the first day of the joint EISA Championships and Middlebury Carnival today (Feb. 24), contested under the threat of severe snowfall that failed to materialize in any challenging capacity. On the strength of its Nordic team victories and individual alpine podiums, Vermont is currently in the lead with 473 points followed by Dartmouth with 429 points and Middlebury with 366 points.

The Nordic races were held over an hour away from Middlebury at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, a venue that has served as home to the EISA for three weekends of racing during this low snow winter. Middlebury's Patrick Johnson claimed a convincing win in the men's 10k freestyle followed by Vermont's Franz Bernstein in second and Dartmouth's Sam Tarling in third. The Big Green's Eric Packer is still in Turkey at the U23 World Championships, and his absence certainly factored into Vermont's ability to take the team win for the day. Caitlin Patterson found her jets in the 5k freestyle—a shorter race than her preferred distance—to claim the win for Vermont. Catamount teammate Lucy Garrec was second, and Dartmouth's Sophie Caldwell was third. Vermont also claimed the team win for the women's Nordic race.
Race winner Caitlin Patterson of UVM

The alpine races were plagued by chairlift failures which forced several athletes to hike the hill for their runs, reminiscent of the slalom days of yore. In the men's race, Vermont's Jonathan Nordbotten finally scored his much anticipated slalom victory on the EISA circuit. He commented, "I've had really good training the past few days and last week, so this is just pay back for that." Nordbotten was followed by Tim Kelley of UVM in second and New Hampshire's Taylor Vest-Burton. Vest-Burton was supported by his Wildcat teammates Coley Oliver in fourth and Paul Atkinson in fifth.

Vermont's Jonathan Nordbotten takes the slalom win

Vermont's Kate Ryley claimed another win in the women's slalom utilizing an uncharacteristic number of "old school" inside hand clears on her way to the finish line. She remarked, "My old schooling three gates in the middle of the course was probably from my hand injury [earlier in the season], but I almost never shin gates. I'm working on creating pressure above and that's given me too much room, so maybe I can tighten it up more and go faster." Despite this unorthodox technique on the collegiate circuit, her tactical line proved to be over a second faster than Dartmouth's Annie Rendall who finished second. New Hampshire's Catherine Blanchard was third.
Dartmouth's Annie Rendall slaying into second

The EISA Championships conclude tomorrow (Feb. 25) with the giant slalom races at the Middlebury Snow Bowl in Hancock and the women's 15k and men's 20k classic mass start events at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe.

Team scores at the conclusion of the first day of EISA Championships/Middlebury Carnival:
Vermont - 473
Dartmouth - 429
Middlebury - 366
New Hampshire - 362
Williams - 283.5
Colby - 255
St. Lawrence - 246.5
Bates - 244
Harvard - 152
St. Michael's - 149
Bowdoin - 91
Plymouth State - 75
Maine Presque Isle - 59
Boston College - 57
Colby-Sawyer - 28

Stoked For Middlebury Winter Carnival 2012

Sweet promo video for the 2012 Middlebury Winter Carnival. Are you as stoked as we are? Bring it!
Complete program and schedule here.




Skiers of the Week — Williams Carnival

Alpine

Rebecca Nadler HAR - 1st GS, 3rd SL
Photo: Harvard Athletics

Sean Higgins UVM - 1st SL, 4th GS
Photo: UVM Athletics


Nordic

Annie Hart DAR - 1st 10k Classic
Photo: Dartmouth Athletics

Dimitri Luthi WIL - 3rd 10k Classic
Photo: Williams Athletics

Middlebury Carnival/EISA Championship Nordic Races Moved to Trapps

The Nordic events for the Middlebury Carnival/EISA Championships have been moved to the Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe, Vt.) for the weekend.

Schedule: 

Feb 24 | Friday
Men 10:00AM 10k Freestyle
Women 11:30AM 5k Freestyle

Feb 25 | Saturday
Women 10:00AM 15k Classic Mass
Men 11:30AM 20k Classic Mass

Williams Carnival Day 2 - Dartmouth Wins Williams Carnival, Harvard's Nadler Notches Historic Victory

Williams Carnival Day 2 Report

HANCOCK, Mass./CRAFTSBURY, Vt. — Dartmouth was able to maintain its lead in the second day of the Williams Carnival (Feb. 18) with commendable performances by its Nordic squads to claim its second overall win of the season. Dartmouth scored a total of 869.5 points, Vermont gave close chase with 840 points, and Middlebury was third with 690 points.

In the double scored classic races at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Dartmouth competed at a disadvantage without one of their regular stars, Eric Packer, who is currently in Turkey preparing to compete in the U23 World Championships. Vermont's Franz Bernstein secured the win 13 seconds ahead of Dartmouth's Gordon Vermeer who led the Big Green to the team win. His teammate, Sam Tarling, finished fourth. Williams College's Dimitri Luthi made his first appearance on the podium this season, quite appropriately at his home carnival, in third.
Vermont's Franz Bernstein (photo by Cory Ransom)

In the women's 10k classic, Dartmouth's Annie Hart earned her first victory of the season over teammate Sophie Caldwell who finished second. Vermont's Caitlin Patterson rounded out the podium in third. Dartmouth won both the men's and women's overall for the classic races.

The giant slalom races at Jiminy Peak were a battle of tenacity as snow conditions and course sets proved challenging for all contenders. Harvard's Rebecca Nadler held her line through difficult sections to secure what could be the Crimson's first women's NCAA Skiing victory in history. After her win, she remarked, "I've been smiling nonstop for the last two hours. It was a rough ride, I didn't feel completely clean, and I got bumped around. I tried to keep my skis in the fall line as much as I could. I'm just going to keep smiling because that seems to be working." Vermont's Kate Ryley finished second, and Geordie Lonza of Williams made her second podium appearance of the weekend in third.

The Middlebury Men's Alpine Team has struggled with hot and cold results all season, but the Williams Carnival giant slalom was the tropical beach they have been looking for. Andrew McNealus won the race and fellow Panthers Nick Bailey and Hig Roberts finished fifth and seventh, respectively, for the team win. Saint Michael's College had a surprise podium result with Fredrik Sandell coming in second. Vermont's Bobby Farrell was third.

Middlebury's Andrew McNealus (photo by Cory Ransom)

EISA competition moves to Middlebury, Vt. Feb. 24-25 for the Middlebury Carnival and EISA Championships.

Team scores at the conclusion of the Williams Carnival:
Dartmouth - 869.5
Vermont - 840
Middlebury - 690
New Hampshire - 634.5
Williams - 569
St. Lawrence - 509
Bates - 434
Colby - 434
Harvard - 346
St. Michael's - 309
Universite' Laval - 233
Bowdoin - 182
Colby-Sawyer - 117
Boston College - 108
Plymouth State - 104
Maine - 60

Williams Carnival Day 1 - Carter Wins Slalom, Williams in Second at Home Carnival

Williams Carnival Day 1

HANCOCK, Mass. — The Williams Carnival got off to an unusual start today (Feb. 17) with the cancellation of the first day of Nordic races due to a lack of snow and a schedule swap in the alpine events due to unfavorable racing conditions. At the conclusion of the slalom races, Dartmouth is in the lead with 191 points followed by host Williams in second and Vermont in third. Thirty-two points separate the three leading teams heading into tomorrow's giant slalom and classic races.

In the men's race, Vermont handily swept the podium and applauded veteran Sean Higgins who secured his first win of the season and first FIS victory of his career. Higgins commented that the conditions required specific skill, "Conditions were challenging for the guys in the soft snow.  Growing up in Tahoe, you ski in all types of conditions so you really need a good feel for the snow. That definitely helped a little today."


UVM's Sean Higgins on his way to the win (photo by C.J. Feehan)
Tim Kelley, who had not lost a single FIS University slalom he had entered this year until today, was the runner-up in second while Jonathan Nordbotten finished third. Dartmouth's Ben Morse was fourth and Middlebury's Hig Roberts was sixth.

Hig Roberts of Middlebury (photo by C.J. Feehan)

Racing conditions were rough for the women's field as well due to softening snow that was treated with salt for the second run. Several front-running athletes either failed to finish or had to hike to complete the course. But Williams' Laurel Carter and Geordie Lonza were able to power through the adversity for first and second places, respectively. Middlebury's Bryan Shpall who won the men's second run told Carter to do the same in her race, and she obliged. It was the first carnival victory of her career.

Williams' Laurel Carter (photo by Cory Ransom)

The third scoring skier for Williams, Annie Leiter, was eighth, giving the Ephs the team victory in the event. Harvard's Rebecca Nadler finished third, while Dartmouth's Annie Rendall was fourth. Bates had two skiers in the top six with Emily Hayes and Avril Dunleavy's results.

The giant slalom races will be contested tomorrow (Feb. 18) at Jiminy Peak while the double scored Nordic 10k classic for both genders will be held at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont.

Team scores at the conclusion of the slalom races of the Williams Carnival:
Dartmouth - 191
Williams - 173
Vermont - 159
Middelbury - 154
Colby - 143
St. Lawrence - 137
New Hampshire - 124
Bates - 113
St. Michael's - 105
Harvard - 94
Colby-Sawyer - 77
Boston College - 62
Plymouth State - 56

Skiers of the Week - Dartmouth Carnival

Alpine

Elise Tefre UVM - 1st SL, 5th GS
Photo: UVM Athletics
 
Jonathan Nordbotten UVM - 1st GS, 3rd SL
Photo: UVM Athletics


Nordic

Lucy Garrec UVM - 1st 15k Classic, 3rd 5k Freestyle
Photo: UVM Athletics

Gordon Vermeer DAR - 4th 20k Classic, 4th 10k Freestyle
Photo: Dartmouth Athletics