Skiing Finishes in Top 10 Among Dartmouth Carnival Field

The Harvard skiing team endured the bitter cold at the Dartmouth Carnival this weekend, competing against a field full of U.S. National Ski Team and top non-collegiate racers. With career-bests from both junior Rachel Hampton and senior Hannah Barnes, the team clinched its fourth consecutive top-10 overall finish and tallied 264 points.

Given the weather conditions, the Nordic races were moved to Craftsbury, VT., and the Nordic team only managed to compete for one day of competition. Dealing with chills consistently below -30 degrees, the Harvard women’s Nordic skiers led the Crimson, placing sixth overall out of 11 teams.

“Being in the top six was our goal for the season,” Hampton said. “So being able to do that was a big step for us.”

Hampton posted a career-best eighth place of 61 competitors in the women’s 15K with a time of 45:56.

“It was a tough race out there, but I just went for it and was aggressive,” Hampton said. “I think this was a big step for me confidence-wise to get that finish and I hope that it continues to translate for the rest of the season and NCAAs.”

Senior Hannah Barnes also finished with a new career best, clocking in at 47:48 to take home 25th place in the 15K. Freshman Nina Armstrong came in 36th, followed closely by sophomore Charlotte Cole and freshman Hannah Hardenbergh.

In the men’s 20K, junior Ian Meyer led in 33rd place and junior Devlin Shea and co-captain Soren Anderson finished in 45th and 48th, respectively.

On the alpine women’s side, freshman Molly Leavens led the way in Friday’s Giant Slalom in 45th, with junior Kaitlyn Gibson placing 52th and senior Samantha Udolf coming in 58th.

University of Vermont freshman Laurence St. Germain, who recently returned from representing Canada on the World Cup circuit, won both women’s alpine races, while Colby College junior Mardene Haskell was the top American finisher for both days of alpine racing.

“It was fun having Laurence St. Germain back to add an additional intensity to the race,” said Haskell. The presence of top-tier skiers added another layer of competition to the races.

In the men’s GS, sophomore Pieter Weemaes finished first for the Crimson in 54th in 1:59.10, followed by junior James Stevenson and sophomore Kalvis Hornburg.

After falling on Friday in the GS race, sophomore Kelly Steeves came back strong on Saturday to take first for Harvard with 26th place in the Slalom.

“I was pretty disappointed with my result on Friday. My ski popped off [early in] the first run so I didn’t really get a chance to ski it. I was looking to redeem myself on Saturday,” Steeves said. “I wanted to…finally put together what I’ve been working on in training, and it all came together.”

Steeves was followed by Leavens in 43rd and Udolf in 50th. In the men’s Slalom, senior Dan Rittenhouse led in 54th place, trailed by freshman Dennis Bao and Hornburg. Given the presence of top-ranked non-collegiate racers, the Harvard men started their runs after many skiers had already raced down the course.

“It was challenging for all of us starting that far back, but we pulled through and supported one another through it,” Steeves said.

The team will again take on tough conditions at the Williams Carnival next weekend. The Nordic Races were moved to Lake Placid in New York due to conditions and the Alpine team will be racing in Western Massachusetts at Jiminy Peak and Berkshire East.

“We got to race at Berkshire East last weekend…. So [we] are feeling confident going into the slalom because we know the hill a bit more,” Steeves said.