Alpine Skiers 'Blaze the Course' at St. Lawrence and UNH Carnivals

Author: Nicholas Ferrer

After months of anticipation and training, the men's alpine skiing team is starting to shine. Just two races into the season thus far, the Panthers are quickly establishing themselves as early favorites for the NCAA alpine championships.

On Jan. 18, the Panthers opened their season in Ottawa, Canada during the St. Lawrence Carnival. Behind solid performances from John Rusten '05, Dave Coriel '06, Eric Rygg '03 and Peter Phillips '05, the Middlebury men placed third in the first Slalom event with a combined score of 76. Rusten, who finished in a close second to University of Vermont's highly touted Jimmy Cochran, was one of only two skiers on the day to record a sub 46-second run.

The men blazed the course again during day two. Rusten, Coriel and Rygg all posted top-ten finishes to vault the squad into an early lead. By the day's end, traditional powerhouses UVM and Dartmouth could only admire the Panther showing - Middlebury's 88 was a full six points ahead of the second-place Catamounts.

On the women's side, Laura Scripture '04 paced the Panthers with two stellar top-ten finishes. In what has been deemed one of the more competitive women's fields in years, Scripture's seventh place finish on Sunday guided the Panthers to a team-best fifth - well in front of perennial rival Williams and carnival host, St. Lawrence.

The following weekend, the teams traveled to Attitash, New Hampshire for the University of New Hampshire Carnival. Riding its success at St. Lawrence, the men came out of the gates flying.

Rusten continued his dominance of the previous weekend by finishing second in the Giant Slalom (GS) and first in the Slalom. Rygg wasn't far behind his teammate; he placed sixth in the GS, despite a disappointing second run, and eighth in Slalom. Newcomer Josh Transue '06, who comes to the Panthers after spending the last few years training with the U.S. Development Team, finished ninth in both events, and Phillips and Coriel each recorded top-ten times to help boost the team's score. By the weekend's end, the men had picked up a team victory in Slalom and an impressive second-place in the GS.

Transue's results were especially reassuring to teammates who worried that a knee injury from last year might have kept the star at bay. Big things are expected of both Transue and fellow rookie Coriel, and already the two are delivering.

The women's team also performed well at UNH, capturing a second-place finish in the GS and fourth in Slalom. Scripture attacked the Slalom course in under 52 seconds, while captain Brie Pike-Sprenger '04 crossed the final gates in ninth.

This weekend the teams will look to capitalize on their recent success at the UVM Carnival.