Collegiate Racing Recap: EISA, CCSA
A cold spell was cast across the country as collegiate skiers geared up for week two of racing. While they still may be thawing themselves with a sauna and comforting themselves with a pasty, they should be celebrated for giving their best once more. Onward into the heart of the racing season!
EISA
The Eastern collegiate teams traveled to Sleepy Hollow in Huntington, Vermont for the St. Michael’s Carnival.
Day 1, 10k Skate Individual Start
After a delayed start because of sub-zero temperatures, Matias Oevrum (UVM, NOR) won the men’s 10k fifteen seconds ahead of New Hampshire Wildcat Scott Schulz. Jacob Nystedt (UVM, SWE) placed third. It was a day for the UVM men, as they placed five in the top seven.
Highlights for the Midwesteners included Foss Kerker (CBC) in 13th and Luc Golin (DAR) in 15th. “The course was similar to the Midwest - lots of transitions and gradual terrain to make up time,” reported Golin, captain of the Dartmouth squad. “I wanted to ski relaxed on the two main hills and really push the transitions and gradual rolling parts. My goal is to consistently compete for top 15 finishes and as a full team we want to win a carnival this year. I’m really proud of how all our guys have started this season and I’m looking forward to seeing what we’re able to do in the next 4 weekends of EISA racing.”
Roger Anderson (UNH) finished in 24th, Will Nemeth (MID) was 25th, and James Schneider (UNH) tied for 30th.
Jasmine Drolet, a first-year Dartmouth skier from Canada, won the women’s 10k. She had the first place split at 5k and opened the gap to win by twenty-six seconds. Jasmine Lyons (UNH, CAN) finished second with Anna Bizyukova (UVM, RUS) in third.
Erin Bianco (CBC) placed 8th, Luci Anderson (UNH) was 10th, Libby Tuttle (UVM) in 14th, and Renae Anderson (BOW) finished 18th. Tuttle, who is in her second year with the Catamounts shared her experience from the weekend and thoughts about the rest of the season: “With the cold, I just really tried to focus on keeping my skis moving and avoid getting bogged down. We train at Sleepy most days, so it was really nice to be so familiar with the race course. I have been having a lot of fun with my first college season that has some more normalcy to both training and racing. The team has a really great and inspiring dynamic this year, so honestly most of my goals revolve around performing my best for the team effort.”
Day 2, 5k Classic Individual Start
Matias Oevrum (UVM, NOR) swept the weekend with another victory in the 5k classic race. His UVM teammates took up the next three places: Finn Sweet in second, Greg Burt in third, and Jacob Nystedt (SWE) in fourth.
Foss Kerker (CBC) placed 17th with Roger Anderson (UNH) in 22nd. Anderson, who has started his freshman season out strong, put it simply when asked about his experience with collegiate skiing so far, “Being at UNH has been a lot of fun - it’s a great fit for me. The training is hard and the team has a lot of fun together.” Keep at it Roger!
Another EISA first-year from the Midwest, Victor Sparks (CBC), placed 28th.
Jasmine Drolet (DAR, CAN) also swept the weekend, winning again in the women’s race. Anna Bizyukova (UVM, RUS) was second with Waverly Gebhardt (UVM) in third. Erin Bianco (CBC) continued her impressive early season form, placing 4th, with Renae Anderson (BOW) in 7th, and Luci Anderson (UNH) in 19th.
The EISA will take a weekend off of racing before heading to Craftsbury for the UVM Carnival on February 4th and 5th.
CCSA
It’s always cold in Coleraine. Heck, it’s somehow always even colder at Mt. Itasca itself. This weekend was no different.
Day 1, 10/15k Skate Individual Start
Anabel Needham (MTU), the winner of the women’s 10k, put it well, “The opening race this past weekend was a battle with the thermostat. The fear hanging over our heads of racing in temperatures too cold was real, but so far I think we're all feeling good in the aftermath.” Coming out on the other side of the cold in second was fellow Husky, Henriette Semb (MTU, NOR). Merle Richter (NMU, GER) placed third. Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan took the top eight spots.
Highlights for the Midwest’s own included Mary Lyon (MTU) in 8th, Mia Case (CSS) in 9th, Emma Stertz (CSS) 10th, and Ingrid Halverson (MTU) in 13th.
On the men’s side, it was Kjetil Banerud (NMU, NOR) who won the 15k by over a minute. His teammate and fellow Norwegian, Kristoffer Karsrud, placed second with Skylar Patten (MTU) in third. Colin Freed (MTU) placed 4th, Xavier Mansfield (NMU) 7th, Tryg Solberg (MTU) 8th, Mark Ousidgian (MTU) 10th, Jasper Johnston (MTU) 12th, CJ Young (UWGB) 13th, and Ryan Thieme (UWGB) was 15th.
Day 2, 7.5/10k Classic Mass Start
Skiers jumped straight into the head-to-head racing of mass starts and the results were tight. The top three men all finished within 0.7 seconds. All were Norwegian. CSS start Emil Book Bratbak was first, Kjetil Banerud (NMU) placed second, and Kristoffer Karsrud (NMU) was third.
Colin Freed (MTU) finished in 10th, with Xavier Mansfield (NMU) in 11th, Tryg Solberg (MTU) in 12th, CJ Young (UWGB) 13th, and Cooper Lennox (NMU) was 15th.
In the women’s race, Henriette Semb (MTU, NOR) came out on top, winning by just 0.5 seconds over teammate Anabel Needham. Look for these two to continue competing for the top spot in the CCSA. This team strength is inspiring for Needham. She says, “The highlight this past weekend was definitely getting to race alongside my teammates. It's super motivating and gives a big confidence boost for how we will fare this season in team scoring. Going forward, I want to try and keep finding my flow, and enjoy the successes the team has this season!”
Merle Richter (NMU, GER) once again finished third. Lauren McCollor (NMU) was 12th, Mia Case (CSS) 13th, and Emma Stertz (CSS) rounded out a good opening weekend in 14th.
The CCSA heads to Houghton to race the Tech Invite on January 29th and 30th.
RMISA
The Western colleges took a break from racing this weekend. Up next is the Alaska Fairbanks Invitational on February 1st and 2nd at Birch Hill.
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About the author... Luke Brown, a graduate of Minnehaha Academy and Dartmouth College, is a skier and biathlete for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. He enjoys running in the mountains, writing, and eating cereal with whole milk. He lives in Craftsbury, VT. |