Harvard Skiers Take Fifth In Carnival at Middlebury

Skiing in high winds and 9 degree temperature, the ski team took fifth place for the third meet in a row at the Middlebury College Winter Carnival last weekend.

The team made its best showing in the 50-gate slalom. Steve Blodgett; Willy Draper and Peter and Carter led the team to fourth place. The three finished 11th, 13th, and 14th.

Dartmouth -- led by Erik Sunde in Alpine -- copped first place in the slalom and all other events.

In the 40-gate giant slalom, Steve Blodgett, Greg, Peters and Peter Carter finished 15th, 17th, and 18th to put the Crimson in fifth place.

With a surprise showing by John Mitchell, the cross-country team also ran fifth. Mitchell placed 15th in the 15 kilometer event, while teammates Jim Sise and Ben (Bear) Barnes placed 14th and 22nd.

The jump scheduled for Saturday, was cancelled due to dangerous winds.

The ski team, ranked fifth in the East, will compete Thursday through Saturday at the NCAA Championships at Sugarloaf, Maine, where it will meet the top four Eastern teams and the top five Western teams.

Harvard won the NCAA invitation by placing fifth in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships at the Williams Carnival two weeks ago.