Panthers Skiers Find Success In Recent Carnivals

Over the past few weeks, the Panther ski teams have combined for two fourth place finishes at the University of Vermont and Dartmouth carnivals. At the UVM carnival, the alpine team was first to compete on Jan. 29-30, while the Nordic portion of the carnival took place on Feb. 5-6.

First-year Caroline Bartlett ’19 paced the alpine women in the first day of racing with a strong sixth-place finish in the giant slalom. Lexi Calcagni ’19 was next for the Panthers, crossing the finish line with a season-best 11th place. Elle Gilbert ’16 rounded out the scorers in 22nd place. The men’s team had a difficult day, as Rob Cone ’17, Riley Plant ’18 and Christopher McKenna ’17 each went down during their respective first runs. Colin Hayes ’17 was the top finisher on the men’s side, crossing the line in 12th place, while Ghassan Gedeon Achi ’16 finished in 19th place. Christoph Niederhauser ’16 rounded out the group in 31st.

On the second day of racing, Bartlett picked up another top-ten finish for the Lady Panthers, placing ninth overall in the slalom. Close behind her was Katy Greene ’17 in 12th place, and Gilbert, who battled through some second run difficulties to finish in 38th. Hayes led the men for the second-straight day, tying for a seventh place finish. A few spots back was Gedeon Achi, who earned a top-ten finish, placing ninth. Niederhauser was the team’s third scorer, finishing in a solid 18th place over-all.

Alpine Captain Linley Shaw ’17 is doing her best to keep herself and the team motivated during a season that has been plagued by difficult snow conditions.

“In addition, I just want to inspire my team to keep improving until the snow melts! I’m optimistic that as a team, we could place in the top three for these last two carnivals.”

The Nordic ski team returned to action after a week-long break on Feb. 5-6, taking part in the UVM Carnival at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. The Panther women were paced by the strong duo of Kelsey Phinney ’16 and Annie Pokorny ’16. Phinney continued her excellent season with a second place finish in the 5K freestyle. Competing in her first race since returning to Middlebury, Pokorny earned a fourth-place finish, while senior Nicolette Amber a 23rd-place finish. Patrick McElravey ’17 led the Middlebury men in the 10K free style, placing seventh overall. Next for the team was first-year racer Lewis Nottonson ’19, who crossed the line in 31st place. Rounding out the team’s scorers was Sam Wood ’19 with a 35th-place finish.

Pokorny and Phinney turned in another solid day of racing in the 10K classic race, placing second and fourth, respectively. Kaitlin Fink ’16 rounded out the team score with a 21st place finish. On the men’s side, Evan Weinman ’18 paced the squad, crossing the line in 19th place in the 10K classic event. Nottonson was next for the Panthers in 23rd, followed by Jacob Volz ’18 in 30th. Dartmouth won the carnival with 972 points, followed by Vermont (912), New Hampshire (723) and the Panthers (669).

A pair of podiums and a handful of top ten finishes led the alpine and Nordic ski teams to a combined fourth place finish in the Dartmouth Carnival on Feb. 12-13. The University of Vermont captured the overall title with 888 points, followed by Dartmouth (858), UNH (826) and Middlebury (645).

The alpine team kicked things off in Friday's giant slalom, where Cone landed on the podium in second place. McKenna was close behind in 10th place and Hayes rounded out the scoring in 12th place. Bartlett paced the women's team again with a 14th place finish. Gilbert finished in 22nd place, while Greene was close behind in.

In Saturday’s alpine slalom race, Hayes led the men’s team, earning a season-best fourth place finish. Cone was next for the men, finishing in seventh, and Gedeon-Achi crossed the finish line in 18th. Calcagni was the first finisher for the Panther women, claiming 16th place. Gilbert just missed the top-20, placing 21st overall, while captain Shaw finished in 23rd.

Saturday’s Nordic races were highlighted by another win from Phinney. Phinney’s win in the 15K classic race was her third of the season. Pokorny was the next to finish, coming in 11th place, while Amber placed 18th in the race. Pacing the Nordic men in the 20K classic was Weinman in 32nd place. Volz and Nottonson were close behind, finishing in 36th and 40th place, respectively.

The Panthers have placed fourth in all four carnivals thus far, but are hoping to improve on that for the last two carnivals of the season.

“We are hoping to build on the strong results from the men’s race at Dartmouth,” Head Alpine Coach Stever Bartlett said.“With a little luck and a few less mistakes, the goal [for the guys] is to win the giant slalom and slalom in the final two carnivals. For the women, we are really hoping two more people for NCAA’s.”

The Panthers return to action next weekend on Feb. 19-20 at the Williams Carnival before hosting the NCAA Regional Final during Winter Carnival weekend.