Carrabassett Valley, ME - The carnival season officially kicked off on Friday with racing at Sugarloaf Mountain, home of the historic Narrow Gauge hill. Colby played host to the 13 teams of the EISA after the University of Vermont Carnival, originally slated first, was pushed two weeks due to a lack of snow. The weather was typical for Maine in January, with cold temperatures and moderate winds present. Still, the sky was clear, and the cold weather made for a great day of racing. Racers dodged in and out of the lodge as coaches tried to stay warm. The Mules, excited to host the first race of the season, showed astonishing depth on the first run before stepping up the intensity on run two for a solid start to the year.

Despite feet of snow over the last week, the surface was strong. The snow at the top half of the course was near perfect, with the bottom half boasting a more grooved-up but still rippable section. The ladies got the action underway, with Meagan Olsen leading the pack in 9th place. Hannah Soria sat well in the mix in 16th, and Lydia Riddell landed in 24th. Colby skiers Carissa Cassidy and Molly Mueller were able to hang on to stay inside the top 30 (in ski racing the top 30 run in reverse place order on the second run).

After some minor changes to the course, the men got their opportunity. Freshmen Harrison Digangi, racing for the first time as a Mule, led the pack in 9th, Patrick Coughlin sat comfortably in 17th, and a trio of Mules sat right next to each other with Nolan Sweeney, Noah Riemenschneider, and Tucker Strauch in 23rd, 24th and 27th respectively. The result was all the more impressive from Riemenschneider, considering his disadvantaged starting position as a freshman.

The Mules were boosted on the second run by a set from their coach, Eric Harlow, who put down a familiar and sendable course. The ladies were eager to take advantage, and they wouldn't have to wait long. Cassidy, running first, set down a blistering first run time that would not be bested to move all the way up to 15th. Mueller did just about the same thing, finishing second on the run and moving up to 18th. Soria stood pat against a deep field to give the Mules a third scorer in 17th. Not to be outdone, Olsen, whose best GS finish was 16th before the race, skied nearly flawlessly to land in fourth place, just off the podium. 

The men, also wanting to prove themselves at home, charged hard. In the end, it was two Freshmen who stepped it up as Sweeney skied into 11th place, and Digangi moved up to 7th in his first race after a month away due to injury.

In front of the home crowd, the Mules started off the season strong yet still eager to tackle the rest of the season. After day one, they sit in fourth place when combined with the Nordic team trailing Dartmouth, the University of Vermont, and Middlebury. They will get another chance tomorrow for the Slalom in even colder temperatures.