Crimson Notches Another Tenth

The Harvard skiing team is lacking some key scorers on both the Nordic and alpine squads this year, but one thing the Cambridge contingent cannot be faulted for is a lack of consistency. Another weekend of racing for both the men’s and women’s squads this past Friday and Saturday at the 99th Annual Dartmouth College Carnival resulted in another tenth-place finish, the Crimson’s fourth such effort in as many meets this season on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) carnival circuit.

While Harvard may be falling victim to a small roster and some untimely injuries, there were, nonetheless, some bright spots for the Crimson. Both of Dartmouth’s courses, the Skiway and Oak Hill, benefited from warm weather earlier in the week, followed by freezing temperatures the night before the contests, making the snow hard and icy leading into the competitions.

The men’s alpine squad led the way, with a great individual performance by junior alpine captain Chris Kinner in the Giant Slalom event and a ninth-place team effort in the Giant Slalom race. Kinner placed 17th in the Friday contest, which was his best showing as a collegiate skier. He had started the day in 43rd place, moved up to a tie for 28th place after the first run, and then had the 12th-fastest showing in his second run, leading to his 17th-place final position.

“The race hill at Dartmouth is challenging because it is so easy,” Kinner said. “On flat courses like Dartmouth, every little mistake slows you down a lot. This means that going just a little faster or slower will result in a very different position.”

Freshman Kevin McNamara was the Crimson’s top finisher in the Slalom event, finishing 29th in the race, a 34-place improvement over his starting position.

“He skied consistently, without any major mistakes,” Kinner said. “While I know he’s not satisfied with that result, it’s impressive nonetheless for a freshman of his age to be in the top-30 at such a highly competitive race with so many top-level skiers.”

In the women’s Giant Slalom event, freshman Caroline McHugh finished tied for 33rd, an 18-place improvement over her starting position.

She followed that performance with a 40th-place effort in the Slalom race, a 19-place improvement over her 59th starting position.

The men’s Nordic squad did not fare as well this weekend in Hanover with Oak Hill’s difficult downhills and well-known S-curve, as the men finished tenth in the 15K Freestyle event and twelfth in the 10K Classic event.

Nordic captain Dave McCahill and junior Trevor Petach led the Crimson effort with 50th- and 51st- place showings, respectively, in the 15K race, and 57th- and 56th- place efforts, respectively, in the shorter 10K event.

“The men’s team is taking a little longer to get going,” McCahill said. “We are recovering from some sprained ankle issues on the team, but I think the season is shaping up pretty well.”

The women’s Nordic squad slightly outdid its male counterpart, placing 10th in both of its efforts over the weekend. Sophomore Cara Sprague finished 25th in the 5K Classic event on Friday, a noteworthy 46-place improvement over her starting position. In the 10K Freestyle event, Sprague placed 35th and sophomore Alyssa Devlin finished 43rd to lead the Harvard effort.

“The women’s team has performed well this season,” McCahill said.

“Sprague was our top skier this weekend, and the team showed some of its great depth.”

Despite some of the troubles endured this weekend, McCahill felt both Nordic squads should be able to rebound nicely next weekend at the Middlebury College Carnival in Middlebury, Vermont.

“We are excited for next weekend,” McCahill said. “We know the Middlebury loops well and should be able to come out and perform in the relay style format.”

—Staff writer Thomas D. Hutchison can be reached at tdhutch@fas.harvard.edu.