Strong Showing at Nationals Sets Nordic Skiers in Motion

Author: Josh Axelrod

With the snow falling in copious amounts, this year's nordic team is taking to the snow with a level of excellence one would expect from such an elite group of young men and women.
Headed by Coach Terry Alrdrich, now returning for his 28th season, and Assistant Coach Patty Ross-Tran, fans should be excited to watch Middlebury dominate Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) action throughout the winter.
After a long fall of dry-land training, the team found itself blessed with early snow and great training opportunities at Rikert Ski Touring Center at Middlebury's Bread Loaf campus. While most of us were at home enjoying winter break, the team headed to Quebec for a week long training camp with Dartmouth before heading home for the holidays. With the camp under their belts, and two time trials against Dartmouth to gauge their fitness and psychology, the team rested before its first real test at U.S. Nationals in Rumford, Maine.
While the world recovered from New Year's partying, the Panthers took to the snow on Jan. 4 for the men's 30K classic race and the women's 15K classic race. Over four laps, veteran Panther skier Colin Rodgers '04 finished 29th, proving his place among the elite racers across the United States. He was closely followed by rookie sensation Garrot Kuzzy '06 in 39th, Jake Whitcomb '06 in 40th, and team captain Tim Weston '03 in 67th. Bryce Roche '05, Marshall Greene '04, Simon Isaacs '04, Tom Wisdom '05, Donnovan Dums '06, Kyle Dezotell '03 and Kyle Von Hasse '06 all turned in competitive times, putting seven Middlebury skiers in the top 100 spots.
On the women's side, Middlebury was not as well represented, though the three Panther skiers turned in excellent finishes throughout the week. In the 15K classic race, Kate Whitcomb '04 led the Middlebury charge with a 70th place finish. Close behind her was Kate Newick '04 in 81st and Berkley Leach '04 in 102nd.
Middlebury proved its prowess during the next three races, placing various team members in the top spots in the country. Notably, Kuzzy turned in a 21st place finish in the men's 10K freestyle followed closely by Rodgers in 29th place. On the women's side, Newick and Whitcomb finished 65th and 66th, respectively.
This past Thursday, as the week came to a close, Middlebury shined its brightest in the sprinting events.
Weston finished in the top 16, which led him to a quarterfinal appearance where he finished the day in 14th. Rodgers was 20th and Kuzzy ended the day in 37th place. The women shined as well, with Whitcomb finishing in 26th, Newick in 52nd and Leach in 64th.
The Panther skiers will now focus their attention on the EISA carnival circuit that begins this weekend in upstate New York at St. Lawrence University.
The Panthers will compete throughout January and February before hosting the final carnival from Feb. 21-22.
The team will then compete in the NCAA championships from March 5-8 at Dartmouth.