Hanover, N.H. - The Colby Nordic Ski team finished stage four of the EISA circuit, competing in the 15k Classic Mass Start on Saturday.  The men's team placed fifth and the women's team placed sixth in the 11-team field.  

Andrew Defor was Colby's top performer on the day, fighting his way to a season-best fifth place finish in the 41-minute event.  The first-year has been a major bright spot for the Mules all season, finishing in the top-20 five times prior to Saturday but never in the top-10.  His fifth place finish vaults Defor into serious contention for an NCAA Championship spot.  Matous Matousek and Zach Nemeth completed the scoring for the men's team in 19th and 24th place respectively.  Benjamin Lewis also cruised into the top-30 in 28th.  

The women's team was led by Gretta Scholz who captured her eighth top-14 finish of the season in 13th.  Rose Clayton, Lola Villafranco, and Isabel Seay crossed the finish line nearly simultaneously, holding places 22, 23, and 24 respectively.  Villafranco's result was her second top-30 finish in as many days.  

Next weekend the EISA collides at Prospect Mountain for the fifth stop of the 2024 EISA season.  Williams College will play host.