Bethel, ME - The Colby Alpine Ski Team opened their 2023 campaign with the Bates Carnival. The surface was fantastic despite snow flurries throughout the morning that turned into a full-on snowstorm for the second run. The Mules took advantage, delivering one of the best carnival results in recent memory.
After the first run, the women's side had accomplished a rare and elusive feat putting all six girls in the top 30. They were the only team on the women's side to do it in the race; the result is a measure of the team's depth and skill.
Cassie Lieblein led the team with the 7th fastest first run, followed by
Meagan Olsen,
Molly Mueller, and
Ella Spear in 16th and tied for 17th but only one and a half seconds off the race leader.
Battling a straight and fast course set by the Dartmouth coaching staff, the men placed three in the top 30. Led by
Patrick Coughlin, whose strong skiing sat him in 15th after the first run. Also amongst the leaders were
Chauncey Morgan in 19th and
Tucker Strauch in 26th. Making their carnival debut for the Mules were the Freshmen trio of
Brooks Reed,
Cam Owens, and
Teagan Turner, who all qualified for the second run and sat less than three seconds out.
As the snow began to fall faster and visibility worsened, the Mules doubled down on their fantastic run-one performance. On the women's side,
Ella Spear laid down a beautiful second run to jump from 16th to 6th, a career-best for the Junior.
Molly Mueller had a solid second-run move-up showing the speed that started appearing at the end of last season. With the effort, Mueller finished just behind Spear in 7th. The third scorer for Colby was Sophomore
Hannah Soria, who raced her first GS in two years, returning from injury and delivering a critical 20th-place score. She was followed by Freshmen
Carissa Cassidy, who finished the day in 21st.
With a track that was beginning to deteriorate, it was the men's turn, and
Chauncey Morgan started his Senior year right where he left off with a thrilling second run to move all the way up to 4th place and the fastest of Division three. Strauch and Coughlin stayed inside the top 30, finishing in 19th and 20th, respectively.
The team's efforts throughout the day were enough for a second-place team finish, an outstanding and confidence-boosting result for the team. They sit 84 points behind carnival leaders Dartmouth but eight points clear of Saint Michaels and the University of New Hampshire. Crucially, they hold a whopping 72-point lead over rivals Middlebury and comfortably sit as the top team in Division three.
The Mules will tackle the Slalom tomorrow and look to compete for the carnival victory. That race starts at 9:15 and can be followed live at https://livetiming.usskiandsnowboard.org.
WOMEN'S RESULTS (PDF)
MEN'S RESULTS (PDF)
