Bethel, ME - After a one-day delay, the Bates Carnival continued with the Slalom portion. The rain from the previous day, which had forced the postponement, had frozen overnight, leaving an icy yet aggressive surface.
The men were up first, and they didn't have to make much of a switch out of GS mode as the Bates coaching staff set a challenging course with plenty of distance and offset.
Tucker Strauch led the charge with a solid first run that left him in 22nd; he was followed by
Chauncey Morgan, also in the flip-30 in 27th. Hungry for more, the men's side had their eyes set on a solid second-run charge.
The women looking to avenge a difficult first run from the men showed their consistency anew. Four women finished the first run inside the top 30, led by
Cassie Lieblein with an impressive seventh fastest run from bib 32. First-year student
Carissa Cassidy followed her in 17th, with Megan Olsen in 27th and
Ella Spear in 28th.
For the second go-round, the Mules delivered some strong individual performances.
Tucker Strauch laid down a lightning-quick second run to move all the way up to 13th place; his move was one of the largest of the second run.
Ella Spear also proved that she will be a two-event threat this season, moving up to 13th place and skyrocketing to the top of the overall standings with her seventh place a day earlier.Â
Cassie Lieblein proved to be the star of the day as the Senior started her final year strong with a solid second run to hold on to her top 10 position and finish in sixth, the best of the young season for the Mules. Both Lieblein, Spear, and
Molly Mueller have compiled one top 10 result toward NCAA qualifying.
Despite crashes near the finish line for two of the Mules,
Hannah Soria added another top-30 score finishing in 26th from outside the flip 30. For the men, Teagan Tuner scored his first EISA points finishing in 30th, and
Patrick Coughlin scored team points with a 38th-place finish.Â
On the day, the women's side finished in fifth and the men in tenth, combining for a fifth-place overall finish on the weekend.
WOMEN'S RESULTS (PDF)
MEN'S RESULTS (PDF)
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