Green teams (Dartmouth, UVM) were money in the Nordic events

Author: Geoff Homer

Under cold but clear skies, the Nordic ski team placed third overall as they hosted the Middlebury Carnival at the Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring Center. The Winter Carnival doubled as the Eastern Championships, and was the last opportunity for the skiers to get a bid to the NCAAs, which will be hosted by the University of New Hampshire on the second weekend of March.

In the women's 5K freestlye skate, Cassidy Edwards '09 led the Panthers with a fifth place showing, 23 seconds behind winner Sara Studebaker of Dartmouth. Captain Jenny Hamilton '07 was seven seconds back in sixth place. Robyn Anderson '09 rounded out Middlebury's top three with a seventeenth place showing.

Later that day, the men raced in the 10K free. Simi Hamilton '09 equaled his sister's placing, leading the Panthers with a sixth place effort. Jimmy Ades '08 finished 19th, while Tim Reynolds '09 came across the line in 20th.

Captain Chris Rodgers '07, participating in his last Carnival, skied very well despite almost skiing into a stream. A skier alongside Rodgers took a dip and nearly took Rodgers with him.

On Saturday the women competed in the 15K classic. Edwards and Hamilton were the top two women for Middlebury, finishing in seventh and eighth. Right behind was Anderson in tenth, while first-year Claire Luby ended an impressive rookie campaign with an eleventh place showing.

On the men's side, Simi Hamilton continued his strong season as he equaled his sixth place effort in the 20K Classic, a little more than a minute behind Michael Sinnot of Dartmouth. Reynolds placed 23rd while Ades was 25th.

The men had a tough weekend, as their best overall team score was fourth - well off of the norm for what they have become accustomed to this season. The women skied well, finishing third on Friday while coming in second on Saturday.

Both teams were unable to stave off Dartmouth, whose Nordic team dominated the 2007 season, enabling the Big Green to win all six Carnivals of the season.

The fun continued, thoug, after the Nordic races, as the Nordic teams staged an exhibition sprint relay at the Snow Bowl in front of the base lodge after the completion of the alpine races. The Hamilton siblings, Simi and Jenny, captured the event in thrilling fashion.

Despite the conclusion of the Carnival season, the ski season is not even close to being over; the NCAAs at Attitash Bear Peak in N.H. and the Junior Nationals still remain.