Burke, Vt. - The Colby Alpine Ski Team completed a historic day on Sunday at Burke Mountain in Vermont. The final day of the Harvard Carnival was one to remember for the Mules as Hannah Soria became the first Colby skier to win a race since Mardi Haskell won the Middlebury Slalom in 2015. Additionally, superb efforts from Meagan Olsen and Lydia Riddell gave the women's team the win on the day.
The rock-solid snow went nowhere on Sunday as racers battled again on the Burke Training Hill. The surface was as good as it gets and provided an excellent opportunity for racers across the field.
Hosts Harvard got the drill first and put down a fast, tight set requiring depth from top to bottom. Helene Kristoffersen from Saint Michael's set the early pace, running with bib three. Her time looked sure to be the fastest on the run until Soria arced the top pitch in a way no other skier had to that point to take the lead by three-tenths.
Olsen sat well within touch after the first run in fourth, with Riddell not far back in eighth. As the women's first run finished up, it was clear that the men would face some chatter. Despite the hard snow, some gates had developed bumps that would test the men's field.
First-year Nolan Sweeney flashed the speed that has been present all year on the first run as he skied to second in a stacked field of skiers. Joining him in the top 10 was Harrison Digangi in eighth and Noah Riemenschneider in ninth. Also well within reach of the top group was Tucker Strauch in 13th and Patrick Coughlin in 21st. Strauch was hot off his sixth place the previous day, and Coughlin was racing on his home hill, which brought both skiers confidence to attack the pitch.
Middlebury got the opportunity to set on run two as they delivered a rhythmic and flowy course. The women's race was down to a battle between Kristoffersen and Soria, and they delivered an epic one. Kristoffersen was hunting for the win after a disappointing 13th at the Colby Carnival, and Soria was looking for her first collegiate win and her first podium. Ultimately, Soria's skiing proved unbeatable as she extended her lead on Kristoffersen to win the day by half a second.
Olsen held on to match her fourth place from the Colby Carnival, which will set her up well in the NCAA qualifying picture. Riddell moved up slightly to seventh place on the day. The performance launched the women to a victory on the day, their second in the last two years.
Sweeney was charging on his second run, looking for a podium in just his second collegiate Giant Slalom. Unfortunately, the clock was not quite on his side, and he settled for fourth just three-hundredths of a second off the podium. Digangi and Riemenschneider slipped ever so slightly to end the day in 12th and 15th, respectively.
The men's performance left them just behind Dartmouth, as they took second on the day. As a men's and women's team, the alpine squad scored the most points on the day and skied to a superb third-place finish when combined with the Nordic team. The result left them behind only perennial powerhouses Dartmouth and the University of Vermont but ahead of rivals Middlebury and the University of New Hampshire, among others.
The Mules have a short week as they prepare for three days of racing with the Dartmouth Carnival and the makeup UVM GS.
