January 29, 2012 (Bartlett, NH) – On the opening day of the University of New Hampshire Carnival (Jan. 27), both the Dartmouth men’s and women’s Nordic teams pulled the rug out from underneath UVM, sweeping the men’s podium and winning the women’s classic sprint as well.

With the giant slalom cancelled due to unfavorable racing conditions, Dartmouth double poled its way to the top of the carnival leader board with 274 points. The University of Vermont currently sits second with 219, and Middlebury is third with 171. Host institution UNH is in a heated tie for fourth place with Bates.

The Dartmouth men went 1-2-3 in the final sprint with defending NCAA champion Sam Tarling leading the pack. Tarling’s title is in the freestyle event, so perhaps it was not so curious to see him racing on skate skis for the classic sprint. He commented, “I used skate skis today because it’s a long, flat finish and a mostly flat course. I felt great, my skate skis were really fast, and I had good energy all day.” He was joined on the podium by Bates Carnival 10k classic winner Eric Packer and  Gordon Vermeer.

The strength of the Dartmouth men’s Nordic team is undeniable this year, and Tarling added, “We have eight guys who can be in the top 5. We had to leave people off the carnival team who could be scoring for us, so we’re pretty confident.” Harvard’s Chris Stock also made the final and finished fourth.

While the women’s race was more hotly contested between Dartmouth and UVM, the Big Green’s Sophie Caldwell led the charge and had the race all but locked up heading into the final straightaway. Cruising through a wintry mix of steady precipitation and across the finish line, she was followed in alternating fashion by UVM’s Caitlin Patterson, Dartmouth’s Annie Hart, Catamount Lucy Garrec, her teammate and sister Isabel Caldwell, and Vermont’s Anja Gruber.

To further illustrate the dominance of these two teams, the first non-Dartmouth or UVM skier to place was Bowdoin’s Kaitlynn Miller in ninth. Elizabeth Guiney of UNH was tenth and her Wildcat teammate Annika Taylor was eleventh.

Alpine racing resumes tomorrow (Jan. 28) with slaloms at Attitash Mountain Resort while the Nordics race freestyle at Jackson XC.

Women’s XC Day 1
Men’s XC Day 1

Team scores at the conclusion of Day 1 Nordic races of UNH Carnival:
Dartmouth College – 274
University of Vermont – 219
Middlebury College – 171
Bates College – 132
University of New Hampshire – 132
Williams College – 121
Harvard University – 119
Colby College – 105
St. Lawrence University – 99
Universite’ Laval – 96
Bowdoin College – 90
University of Maine – Presque Isle – 43
St. Michael’s College – 36

Day 2 – Dartmouth’s Sophie Caldwell claims her second victory

With results from the slalom races counting doubly towards overall scores at the UNH Carnival, Vermont secured its second win of the season on Saturday (Jan. 28) by accumulating 1,021 points to Dartmouth’s 873. The University of New Hampshire, who had been in a heated tie for fourth place heading into Saturday’s races, clawed its way into third on the performances of its alpine and women’s Nordic squads, tallying 710 points in total.

Dartmouth’s Sophie Caldwell claimed her second victory of the carnival weekend and maintained her podium streak in the mass start women’s 15k freestyle. Teammate Erika Flowers was third, and UVM’s Caitlin Patterson split the Big Green by crossing the line in second. Elizabeth Guiney of UNH was the top non-Dartmouth/UVM finisher in tenth, and she led her team to a third place result.

In the men’s 20k freestyle race, Eric Packer and Sam Tarling of Dartmouth took first and third, respectively, while UVM’s Franz Bernstein finished second. Patrick Johnson of Middlebury–a familiar podium name–was fourth.

With the cancellation of the giant slalom races due to unfavorable racing conditions on Friday, Saturday’s slalom contests carried doubled weight in team scoring for the carnival. Slick conditions at the gates contrasted the sugary berms that developed below, and many athletes struggled to put two clean runs together. UVM once again swept the men’s podium and took first and second in the women’s race as well. On the fourth and fifth place finishes of Zach Clayton and Sam Coffey, UNH scored second as a team in the men’s event.

Tim Kelley, defending NCAA slalom champion and slalom race winner for the second weekend in a row, trailed his teammate Kevin Drury after the first run. But Kelley had a plan, “After slipping, it looked like the track was better after the sugar was [skied] off. I knew it was going to be hard [for second run], so I just attacked it.” Teammate Kate Ryley asserted it was actually the Kanye West pump-up music Kelley listened to on the lift before his run that ensured the win.

Jonathan Nordbotten (left), Tim Kelley (center), and Bobby Farrell (right) complete the podium sweep in the men’s slalom

Ryley herself found the second step of the podium behind fellow Catamount Elli Terwiel who, along with Kelley, is now two-for-two in EISA slalom races this season. Williams Eph Laurel Carter claimed third to break up a near UVM podium sweep in the women’s race as well.

EISA racing moves to Stowe, Vt. on Friday (Feb. 3) for the UVM Carnival.

Women’s XC Day 2
Men’s XC Day 2

Team scores at the conclusion of the UNH Carnival:
University of Vermont – 1021
Dartmouth College – 873
University of New Hampshire – 710
Middlebury College – 639
Williams College – 604
Colby College – 516
Bates College – 435
St. Lawrence University – 396
Harvard University – 316
St. Michael’s College – 226
Bowdoin College – 158
Plymouth State University – 98
Boston College – 74
University of Maine – Presque Isle – 66
Colby-Sawyer College – 60