McLoon Leads Skiing With Third-Place Finish in 5K Freestyle

Led once again by two strong races from nordic junior captain Anna McLoon, the Harvard ski team had its best finish this season at the Dartmouth Winter Carnival.

On a weekend when the squad was both missing members and fighting to finish races, the Crimson still totaled 254.0 points, good for 10th place.

Although McLoon’s performance was a slight decline from last weekend’s record-setting race at Stowe, Vt. when she took first in a field of over fifty competitors, she nevertheless delivered solid finishes in both the 5K free technique and the longer 15K classic.

McLoon finished fifth in the classic with a time of 53:35.2. In the 5K, she powered her way to third place with a time of 15:24.9.

“The snow was pretty abrasive,” McLoon said. “But it was still one of the best skis I’ve had at Dartmouth.”

Freshman Sarah Mitchell, the only other Harvard female Nordic competitor, placed 54th in the 5K and 48th in the 15K.

In the men’s 10K free technique, sophomore captain Ross Feller and junior Ross Macdonald came in 61st and 62nd respectively. In the 20K classic, Macdonald finished 58th.

“Next week [at Williams] is a less challenging course,” McLoon said. “After three weeks of races in a row, the team is tired. Hopefully we can use this week to rest.”

On the slopes, the alpine team enjoyed a smoother course than it experienced the past two weekends. Junior Matt Perone, continuing to improve as the season progresses, led the men in both the slalom and giant slalom. In the slalom, he was one of only two Harvard men to finish the event, placing 38th with a combined time of 1:58.82. Senior Bryan Bellmare was 40th.

“The tough courses gave racers opportunities to strike from the back,” said Simon, adding that the fast, technical slalom course proved a challenge for many competitors.

In the giant slalom, Perone’s 48th-place finish led a string of three consecutive Harvard skiers. Following Perone’s combined time of 2:12.44 were freshman Sam Simon and captain Ryan Myers. Bellmare was behind them in 52nd.

Like the men, the women finished three-in-a-row in the GS. Junior Rachael Wagner was 50th with a time of 2:48.48, followed closely by sophomore Molly Simmons and freshman Susannah Dickerson.

In the women’s slalom, Dickerson completed her runs in 2:12.47 for a team-leading 50th-place finish, followed by Simmons in 53rd.

Next weekend, the Crimson hopes to continue improving at the Williams Carnival in Williamstown, Mass.

—Staff writer Lisa J. Kennelly can be reached at kennell@fas.harvard.edu.