Clean and powerful arcs were all the rage today up on Spruce Peak at Stowe for the University of Vermont’s carnival GS races. The morning began blissfully still—none of that infamous Stowe wind to be seen—and then got breezier as the sun arrived in the late morning. A firm surface awaited the fastest bunch of skiers that east coast colleges have to offer, and the track held up decently well throughout both the first and second runs.
Feeling fast on their home hill, UVM once again had a strong showing in today’s race, and impressive performances were also put on by Dartmouth, Middlebury, and UNH. Here’s a look at the top results from the day:
Dartmouth women screeched onto the podium in full force with second and third place finishes from Patricia Mangan and Claire Thomas, respectively. Thomas pulled off a 1:07.84 on her first run, the second fastest, and rounded things out with a 1:08.87 second run, the fifth fastest. Mangan, meanwhile, only got faster as the day progressed—she started off with the fourth fastest first run at 1:08.23, then skied the second fastest second run at 1:07.17.
Marina Vilanova, feeling comfortable at the top of the podium after her win on the GS hill at Waterville during last week’s Harvard Carnival, decided to extend her stay this week as she knifed the fastest first run at 1:07.53 and fourth fastest second run at 1:08.61. Also worth a shout-out is Canadian Laurence St-Germain, who fell behind early with the 21st fastest first run (1:11.72) but ultimately screamed into eighth place with the fastest second run in the pack (1:07.82).
The men’s GS podium also has some familiar faces on it: Pat Kenney, pride of the UNH ski team after winning the GS race last week, returned with a third-place finish earned with the fifth fastest first run (1:06.97) and second fastest second run (1:06 flat). Dartmouth’s Drew Duffy, something of a local yokel around the podium these days, skied the fourth fastest first run (1:06.85) and fastest second run (1:05.79), launching himself into second place. Middlebury’s Erik Arvidsson, meanwhile, decided his fifth place finish last week didn’t quite cut it and nabbed first place by ripping out the fastest first run (1:06.29) and fourth fastest second run (1:06.33).