Races Bring Mix of Results

The Harvard skiing team headed north in search of fresh powder this weekend, racing to a 10th place finish at the University of New Hampshire Winter Carnival in Jackson, N.H.. Both the Nordic and Alpine teams had their share of struggles and success in the teams’ second event of the season. Powerhouse Dartmouth maintained its dominance, finishing 67 points ahead of runner-up New Hampshire.

“A couple of us weren’t happy [with our results], but at the same time, we were definitely glad to get some good skiing in,” junior Aubrey Mangan said.

Junior captain Christopher Kinner placed 30th in the men’s Giant Slalom event, posting times of 1:11.16 in his first attempt and 1:10.96 in his second. Behind him was freshman Kevin McNamara, who placed 46th, with a total time of 2:25.74.

Rounding out the field of competitors were sophomores Brad Alvarez and Alec Boardman, finishing in 2:36.17 and 2:39.82, respectively.

Kinner and McNamara both improved their standings in the Slalom event. Kinner finished a respectable 22nd with his best-ever time of 1:32.76. In fact, Kinner was only half a second behind the leader in his second run. McNamara also competed well, finishing with a time of 1:35.37 and a 36th place finish.

“Kevin McNamara has outstanding potential,” sophomore Alec Boardman said. “He’s definitely going have a good four years ahead of him.”

With the women’s alpine team captain out due to injury, the team struggled against other competition in both the Giant Slalom and Slalom events.

In the Giant Slalom, freshman Caroline McHugh fell in her second run after posting a time of 1:23:33, earning no points for the team. In the Slalom, McHugh managed to complete her two runs, but finished 49th with an overall time of 2:00.11.

The men’s Classic Sprints event featured junior Trevor Petatch, who paved the way for the Crimson with a time of 3:49.20. Right behind Petatch was senior Dave McCahill, clocking in just four seconds later.

The men’s Nordic team also competed in the 10K Free event. As in the classic sprints, Petatch and McCahill struggled once again to finish in the top half of the pack. They finished 60th and 71st respectively.

Similarly, the women’s Nordic team had its share of struggles on the slopes in both the Classic Sprints and the 10K Free. Sophomore Cara Sprague had arguably the best showing this weekend for Harvard, completing the classic sprints with an impressive time of 4:30.27, garnering a 34th place finish out of a total of 84 competitors.

Just ten places behind her was Mangan, with a time of 4:35.48. Also representing the Crimson women’s Nordic team were sophomore Alyssa Devlin (4:35.52), senior captain Anna Schultz (4:44.47), freshman Shannon Mulshine (4:46.56) and sophomore Meri Burruss (5:12.42).

“We all skied really fast, some of us faster than last year, but the women’s field has gotten a lot faster this year,” Mangan said.

Wrapping up this weekend’s carnival was the women’s 10K Free. Devlin finished in the middle of the pack with a time of 33:45.41, while Mangan, Sprague, Mulshine, Shultz, and Burruss finished in 56th, 57th, 65th, 70th, and 77th place, respectively.

Harvard won’t have much time to rest, as it prepares to gear up for the Vermont Carnival next weekend.

“We just have to get some more training under our belts, build on what we’ve done so far, and just go from there,” Boardman said.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a good race next week.”

—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.