Hanover, N.H. - The Nordic Ski team opened the Classic leg of the NCAA Ski Championships Thursday in front of a rambunctious crowd at the Oak Hill Outdoor Center right down the street from host institution Dartmouth College.  Despite the wet snow, the rain held off and the warm weather made the event a spectacular opportunity for fans to get out to cheer on their teams.  

Sophomore Maddie Hooker (photo left) was the lone Colby competitor in the women's field, and she made the most of it cruising to a 29th place finish.  She had a stellar first loop in the 7.5k race recording the 17th fastest time through the first 2.5k.  The top-30 finishers in the 40-person field earn points towards their team's standings. The race was won by Erica Laven from the University of Utah.   

On the men's side, Senior Jack Young (headline photo) finished as the top Division III athlete in 13th place overall, narrowly missing All-American status (top-10).  Sophomore Andrew Defor, competing in his first NCAA Championship, placed 39th.  The race was won by John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth.  

"Today was a great start for us with Maddie having her best Classic result of the season," said Head Coach Tracey Cote. "Jack was impressive, as sprints are his specialty, but he stuck it out to have the highest NCAA finish, as well as his best Classic result, of his career." 

The Mules return to the trails on Saturday for the conclusion of the 2025 championship event.  Competitors will compete in a 20k Freestyle Mass start with the men's pack taking off at 10:00am with the women to follow at 12:00pm. Colby (Alpine and Nordic combined) sits in 9th place out of 23 teams after yesterday's Slalom and today's Classic.