Panther Ski Team Places Fourth at Bates Carnival

Nordic skier Kelsey Phinney ’16 picked up her first career win on Saturday, Jan. 16 as the nordic and alpine teams combined for a 4th place finish in the opening carnival of the season. Alpine events took place at Sunday River, while the nordic teams competed at the Quarry Road Recreational Area in Waterville.

The alpine team opened with a strong performance in Friday’s Giant Slalom, placing four racers in the top 12.
“Usually the first carnival of the year is a little slow for us, but that was probably the best we’ve done in an opening race in at least five years,” Head Alpine Coach Stever Bartlett said. “Now we are looking to continue that momentum for the upcoming carnivals.”

Rob Cone ’17 led the group, finishing fourth overall. Riley Plant ’18 had the second-fastest time in the second run to finish in sixth overall, while Colin Hayes ’17 rounded out the scoring with an 11th place finish. Just behind Hayes with a 12th-place effort was Christopher McKenna ’17.

The women’s alpine team was led by Caroline Bartlett ’19, who finished seventh in her first career carnival. Lexi Calcagni ’19 placed next for Middlebury, coming in 15th overall. Rounding out the scorers was Katy Greene ’17, who finished in 20th. Both Elle Gilbert ’16 and Captain Linley Shaw ’17 were unable to finish their first runs.

On the Nordic side, Phinney began her strong performance over the weekend in Friday’s 1.5K-sprint race. She had the fastest qualifying time in the women’s race, beating the field by nearly five seconds, before finishing second overall. Nicolette Amber ’16 aided the team effort finishing in 14th overall, while sophomore Katie Feldman ’18 came in 41st. On the men’s side, Patrick McElravey ’17 paced the team, placing 12th in the men’s classic sprints. Two spots behind in 14th place was Evan Weinman ’18, while first-year Zeb Millslage ’19 rounded out the scorers in 58th place.

Saturday’s 5K Nordic race was highlighted by Phinney’s win, where she beat out the rest of the field by a significant margin of seven seconds.

“I had great momentum going into Saturday’s race after finishing second on Friday,” Phinney said. “I felt pretty confident going into the start that if I skied my best possible race I could win … my teammates ended up telling me I had won and that was just an amazing feeling.”

On the men’s side, McElravey earned a top-10 finish in the 10K free, placing ninth overall. The scoring was rounded out with two Panthers claiming back-to-back spots, as first-year Lewis Nottonson ’19 finished in 30th and Weinman crossed the finish line just seconds later for a 31st place finish.

The alpine team struggled a bit more in Saturday’s slalom race, with three men failing to finish their second run. Despite the setback, they were still able to place three finishers in the top-17. Cone paced the group for the second time that weekend, finishing in fifth place overall. Hayes concluded the weekend with a strong ninth place finish, while Captain Christoph Niederhauser ’16 crossed the finish line in 17th. On the women’s side, only Greene cracked the top 20 in 17th place, while Calcagni and Shaw rounded out the team in 35th and 36th places, respectively.

The Panthers concluded the carnival in fourth place out of 17. Both teams return to action this weekend in the carnival hosted by Colby College. Alpine events will take place at Sugarloaf Mountain, while the Nordic team will return to the Quarry Road Recreational Area in Waterville.