Panther skiing captures second at Dartmouth

Author: Martin Breu

The Middlebury ski teams seem to have found their winning form just in time for the final two carnivals and NCAAs. Dartmouth took top honors on their home courses but the Panthers were just behind in second, with the University of Vermont accomanying them on the podium in third. Both the alpine and nordic teams placed better than they have so far this year to pick up their first carnival honors of the season. The standout performance of the weekend was Simi Hamilton's '09 double victory in both nordic races.

The Dartmouth Carnival started on Feb. 13, with the alpine team contesting a giant slalom race. Men's captain Andrew Wagner '09 was the top Panther finisher just outside of the podium in fourth place. On the women's side, Natasha Woodworth '11 led the women with an eighth-place finish. The Panther women ended the day in fifth place, while the men took fourth. William Ford of UNH and Dartmouth's Courtney Hammond won the men's and women's races, respectively; Hammond has won every carnival GS race this season.

Over on the cross-country skiing trails, the Nordic racers contested a 5- and 10-km classic race. Hamilton, co-captain of the men's team, took the individual win and was followed closely by Patrick Johnson '11 in fifth, Chase Marston '12 in sixth, Michael Mommsen '10 in seventh and co-captain Tim Reynolds '09 in tenth. With five skiers in the top 10, the Panther men clinched a first-place team score. The women were not slacking off either; they finished second on the day, close behind Dartmouth. Elise Moody-Roberts '12 led the charge with third place, breaking up what would have been a 1-2-3 Dartmouth finish. Robyn Anderson '10 was the next Middlebury finisher in eighth, and Kate Barton '09 just missed the top-ten, landing in 11th place.

Saturday saw the alpine team hit the slopes again, this time for a slalom race. Wagner was the top finisher for the men again with another fourth-place finish. Jake Lund '11, returning to racing after a shoulder injury, landed an impressive 11th place. Woodworth resumed her leadership of the Panther women, finishing fifth, while Mattie Ford '09 finished 10th. The stronger results put the men's team into second place and the women into third.

The nordic skiers were also back to work on Saturday, racing a 10- and 15-km mass-start freestyle race (a mass-start race has all the racers start together in a large pack, as opposed to the more common interval start where racers are staggered). Hamilton picked up where he left off on Friday and cruised to victory, with Reynolds and Johnson finishing third and sixth, respectively. The Panther women were also strong with Moody-Roberts in fourth and Barton in sixth, but the Dartmouth women dominated the race, taking four of the top five spots. Overall, the Middlebury nordic team held their team positions from Friday, with the men taking the victory and the women coming in behind Dartmouth for second.

The college race scene continues this weekend here on home courses as the Panthers host the Middlebury Winter Carnival. Friday's events are a giant slalom race for the Alpine team and a 10-km classic mass start race for the nordic team. Saturday will be a slalom race for the alpine team and a 3x5km freestyle relay for the nordic racers.