Last weekend's Bates Carnival racing at Black Mountain saw a little bit of everything. Freezing rain, stinging sleet, fresh snow, deep slush, bluebird sunshine, perfect corduroy, the Black Mountain Breeze, and much more, all played a part in the two days of EISA/Eastern Cup competition. UVM's Margie Freed and Middlebury's Peter Wolter thrived in the variable conditions to earn their first Skier of the Week honors of the season.
Freed is a Minnesota native who is studying business at UVM. She's been on an upward trend all season, grabbing her first podiums of 2020 with third place finishes in both Friday's 15k and Saturday's 5k. Freed's points helped the UVM women win Friday and finish second Saturday.
Freed's no stranger to consistency, having notched a pair of eleventh place finishes and provided crucial contributions to UVM Skiing's second place overall at the 2019 NCAA Championships. She - and the rest of the Catamounts - will be looking to improve on those results next month at the 2020 NCAA Championships in Bozeman, Montana.
Wolter is in his junior season for the Middlebury Panthers. Originally from Hailey, Idaho, he's studying Economics and owns a laser engraving business in addition to his athletic and academic pursuits.
He placed fourth in Friday's 20k and battled for the win in Saturday's 10k, ending up in second place for his fifth podium of the season. His efforts paced the Middlebury men to third on Friday and fourth on Saturday, as well as contributed to Middlebury Skiing's overall carnival win - their first of the season.