Ski team finishes in first after day one Dartmouth won on the fall-owing day

Author: Anna Furney

In the tradition of saving the best for last, the Rikert Ski Touring Center and Middlebury's Snow Bowl hosted the 2008 EISA Championships for both alpine and Nordic athletes on Feb. 22 and 23. While Middlebury's Panthers have seen considerable opposition from the Dartmouth and University of Vermont (UVM) ski teams, they came into the weekend ready to defend the icy terrain and reputation of their home hill.

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Defying the predictions of a clear forecast, the weather proved to be a challenge for the athletes as the winter elements of cold, snow and wind flew across the Ross trail in driving sheets.

The first run for Middlebury's women was quite unnerving for the spectators lining the finish corral, as they watched only three of the seven Middlebury athletes - Megan Hughes '08, Krissie Poehling '08 and Lindsay Kraft '11 - make it through the finish with clean runs. The trio was left with the weighty responsibility of scoring the necessary points from their individual finishes, to keep the team in the overall running for the weekend's title.

The conclusion of the women's slalom left UVM's Lyndee Janowiak in first, followed by skiers from the Univrsity of New Hampshire (UNH) and Dartmouth in the second and third perches on the day's podium. Coach Stever Bartlett was able to let out a sigh of relief after Hughes, Poehling and Kraft had secured the women's alpine team with fourth, ninth and 17th positions, a collection of enough cumulative points to maintain the team's standing as the Carnival front-runner.

On the men's side, it was Williams' Charles Christianson who emerged as the day's front-runner. Middlebury's Andrew "Billy" Wagner '09 followed Christanson in hot pursuit, but failed to make up enough time in his second run to move up from fourth position after the first run. Other than Christianson, it was Middlebury and UVM who dominated the day's top 10, with Catamounts Marsh Gooding and Eric Gilbert capturing fourth and sixth, and Middlebury's Alec Tarberry '08 and Joey Swenson '08 rounding out eighth and ninth positions.

Down the mountain road a mile or so, Middlebury's Nordic team was fighting off their EISA challengers at the Rikert Ski Touring Center in Hancock. In the women's 5K freestyle, Robyn Anderson '09 captured third place, behind Dartmouth skiers Susan Dunklee and Elsa Sargent. Cassidy Edwards '09 was the team's next fastest finisher in seventh place, while Claire Luby '10 followed close behind in ninth.

Patrick Johnson '11 led the Panthers in the 10K free with a solid fourth-place finish. Johnson was chased by teammates Tim Reynolds '09, who finished the day in eighth, and Matt Johnson '08 in 17th. The impressive finish by Patrick Johnson, in combination with the consistency exhibited in the finishes of his fellow teammates, secured second-place overall for the male members of the Panthers' Nordic team after the first day.

Saturday's races at the Snow Bowl began with sun, live music and maple syrup in a series of events sponsored by the College's Carnival Committee in an effort to mobilize student-based support for both the College's athletes and the weekend's competition.

"The entire weekend was amazing," said Hughes, the alpine captain. "Middlebury Carnival is a tradition that really combines all the best things about the sport of ski racing."

The unmitigated highlight of the weekend was watching team member Kelly Brush '08 forerun both the first and the second runs of Saturday's giant slalom (GS). Kelly's return to skiing was greatly celebrated amongst the ski racing community following a crash that she took while racing at Jiminy Peak two years ago, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. It was only fitting that she shared with her teammates, family members and home hill her impressive first full course on her monoski.

UVM, UNH and Dartmouth led the field of women, sweeping first through third. Poehling was the Panthers' top finisher for the day, landing in fourth place - just off of the podium blocks. Hughes captured fifth place, just five-tenths of a second behind Poehing.

On the men's side, it was Wagner's win that highlighted the weekend's list of finishes for the Panthers. Wagner won both of the day's runs, quelling any doubts that the crowd and the competition may have had about his strengths in GS and putting him nearly a full second in front of UVM's Greg Hardy, who finished second. Strong finishes amongst Middlebury's men also came from senior Alec Tarberry, who ended up in fifth place - only three-hundredths of a second behind little brother Ace Tarberry of Dartmouth, who snuck in ahead of Alec to snatch fourth.

Behind Alec Tarberry were fellow seniors Swensson in sixth, Skip Heise in 13th, Zeke Davisson in 26th and Clayton Reed - who, catching an edge and hip-checking over the course's final knoll, still managed to finish the day in 43rd. The Middlebury men's team deservedly won the GS event with its depth in talent and skill.

The reliability of the women's Nordic team in the 10K classical race helped to secure points for the weekend's overall standings. Top finishes from Edwards in ninth, Anderson in 12th and Luby in 14th allowed the hunt for the overall championship seem less daunting.

The men's 15K classic was led by athletes from UVM, Bates and Dartmouth. Middlebury's own Patrick Johnson was the top finisher for the Panthers in 12th. He was followed by his brother Matt in 14th.

While Dartmouth won the weekend's EISA championship with 928 points, it was closely followed by Middlebury, which tallied 906 points, UVM with 868.5 points and UNH 796 points.

Sadly, Middlebury graduates a pool of extremely talented seniors - among them former U.S. ski team members, Junior Olympians and All-Americans.

"There is no saying what we could have done to have won the carnival," said Hughes. "I think everyone did their best this weekend, and, really, that's all that we can control. Collectively, our team is so enthusiastic and supportive. Winning the UVM carnival this year was incredible and we all wanted to continue winning. Knowing that it was possible gave us the tenacity to ski faster every weekend."

The team's drive is only accelerated by the instruction of Bartlett, who brings experience and enthusiasm to the group's dynamics.

Unsurprisingly, Bartlett was awarded the coveted position of EISA Coach of the Year at the weekend's culminating banquet on Friday night, only pointing out the obvious - that the team's ability in both athletics and instruction is amongst the best in the world.

Winter has indeed felt like a long and cold season, but there is no saying where the rest of the year will take the Panthers, as high-stakes races fill the months of March and April for both alpine and Nordic athletes. The Panthers are looking forward to the NCAA Championships planned for March 5-8 hosted by Montana State at Bozeman.

Spoken with a hint of optimism, Hughes knows that "we have the ability to bring home some podium finishes. Our team is stacked with talent and we have the potential to do some serious damage on the Western front."

So either book a flight to Montana or lean back in your desk chair, but either way, pay attention to Middlebury athletes as they take on their West Coast counterparts at this year's NCAA Championships.