Alpine Team Waxed Up for Winter Carnival

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

With just one stop left on the carnival circuit, the Middlebury alpine ski team sits in a tenuous balance between third and fourth place overall in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA). At the Williams Carnival last weekend the Panthers finished behind the University of Vermont (UVM), Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) but ahead of their New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foes. While Middlebury along with the hierarchy of the EISA are almost assured of sending the maximum of six alpine racers to the NCAA Championships in early March, the final regular season carnival at the Snow Bowl will serve as a crucial competitive warmup for teams like Middlebury as they prepare to face the powers of the West like Denver, Utah and The University of Colorado.
If it were not for a clean sweep by UNH in the 10-kilometer freestyle Nordic races, Middlebury most likely would have finished ahead of the large New Hampshire school. In the slalom race the women finished sixth with 63 points while the men tied for second with Dartmouth with 84 points.
The women of UVM had a strangle-hold on four of the top five spots in the slalom in what turned out to be a dominating performance for the Catamounts. Jessica Smith '05 however was not intimidated and plowed through the gates for a sixth place finish. Laura Scripture '04 garnered 27 points for the Panthers with a strong 12th place finish.
The men continued their season-long maturation process by placing veterans and newcomers alike in the top 10. Eric Rygg '03 continued an impressive senior campaign wedging himself into third between Scott Kennison and Jimmy Cochran of UVM. David Coriell '06 skied two consistent runs to place himself in sixth giving his team a boost. Josh Transue '06 and Fred Emich IV '04 completed a good day for Middlebury skiing, both placing in the top 25.
The second day brought even better results for the alpine team. Behind the stunning win in the Nordic 3x5 kilometer relay by Tim Weston '03, Garrott Kuzzy '06 and Colin Rodgers '05, the Panther downhill squad ripped a second place in the giant slalom (GS) for the men and a fourth for the women.
The men took advantage of three top 15 finishes with Coriell in seventh, Rygg in eighth and Transue in 14th. First-year Peter Phillips came in a respectable 20th while old friend Cochran of UVM continued his torrid pace by winning the event.
On the women's side Jamie Kingsbury of UVM, who demolished the field in the slalom, did the same in the GS taking the race by over two seconds. Familiar names Scripture and Smith came in 16th and 17th respectively followed by Molly Russell '05 who received 18 points for the team in a finish of 23rd.
After skiing at Jiminy Peak, the Panthers now have their home turf to defend. Historically Middlebury saves the best for last finishing strong at home to the delight of students, faculty and alums.