Big Green in Third After First Day at Bates Carnival

Friday, February 7

Newry/Rumford, Maine

9:00 AM

Dartmouth College

Bates Day One

Senior Stephanie Lebby posted her best-ever finish in a carnival race.

Photo by: Gil Talbot

Big Green in Third After First Day at Bates Carnival

2/7/2020 7:53:00 PM | Skiing

Results

By: Rick Bender

NEWRY/RUMFORD, Maine — Team wins in both the men's and women's slalom helped Dartmouth finish the first day of the Bates Carnival in third place with 381 points. Vermont sits atop the standings with 448 points thanks to winning both Nordic events, while Middlebury is sandwiched between the two in second with 417.

The giant slalom was scheduled to be run today, but weather conditions at Sunday River forced a late change to the slalom. Senior Kipling Weisel had the lone podium for the Big Green on the day, racing to a third-place finish for the men with a combined time of 1:51.50. Sophomore Andrew Miller and senior David Domonoske weren't far with the former taking fifth in 1:52.42 and the latter sixth in 1:53.14. Although Vermont's Joachim Jagge Lindstoel won the event by nearly a full second (1:50.15), the Big Green trio produced 120 points to beat out the Catamounts (110) for the team win.

Without two of its top skiers on the slopes — Tricia Mangan and Stephanie Curry — the Dartmouth women got a chance to show off its depth by winning the slalom anyway. Senior Stephanie Lebby provided the Big Green's top time of 1:11.47 to claim fourth place for her best-ever showing in a carnival race. She was backed up by freshman Gwen Wattenmaker who tied for fifth in 1:11.71, while sophomore Abi Jewett squeaked into the top 10 with a time of 1:12.42, good for 10th. While Madeleine Dekko of Williams took home the gold, Dartmouth edged out New Hampshire, 110-105, for the team victory while Colby College took third with 97 points.

Junior Adam Glueck returned this week to lead the men's Nordic team in the 20K classic at Black Mountain, finishing eighth with a time of 59:30.7 to earn 33 points for the Big Green. Classmate Walker Bean along with freshman Cameron Wolfe also scored for Dartmouth, placing 22nd (1:01:23.5) and 29th (1:01:52.1), respectively, leaving the Green with 70 points in seventh place. Harvard's Rémi Drolet took the gold in 55:49.5 with Vermont's Ben Ogden 10 seconds behind and no one else within a minute and a half. But it was the Catamounts that won the event with 130 points while the Crimson were a distant second with 107.

While Glueck was returning after missing last week's races, the Dartmouth women skied the 15K classic without three-time NCAA champion Katharine Ogden or All-American Lauren Jortberg. Their absence allowed Vermont and Middlebury to post the six fastest times, led by the Panthers' Sophia Laukli (45:50.8). The Big Green's top time was turned in by senior Abby Drach in 48:05.1, good for 11th place and 30 points. A pair of sophomores in Molly Gellert (48:45.5) and Rena Schwartz (48:51.2) finished up in 16th and 17th place, respectively, as Dartmouth totaled 81 points, just behind Bowdoin (88) in fourth. And even though a Catamount didn't claim the top step of the podium, Vermont still won the event — just like the men — beating out Middlebury by a 132-124 margin.

The giant slalom and freestyle races will conclude the carnival on Saturday.