Lake Placid, NY - The Nordic teams had a great first day of racing at the Saint Lawrence carnival, which is being held as a part of the US Senior National Championships. This year's US Senior Nationals is the largest field of competitors in the event's history, with just under 700 total competitors from all over the country. Today's race was a 10 kilometer classic individual start race on a very hilly and challenging course. It was really cold overnight dropping down into the single digits and only warmed slightly during the day to the low teens which provided stable racing conditions for the athletes and also helped to keep the waxing consistent throughout the day for the coaches. The few light flurries during the day didn't have an impact on the race conditions.

The women raced in the morning and came out of the gate hot. They were led by senior Natalie O'Brien, senior Lola Villafranco, and sophomore Lydia Kraker who respectively finished in 18th, 19th, and 20th place among the Eastern Interscholastic Ski Association (EISA) women. Junior Margo Nightingale was also in the top 30, finishing in 25th place. The women's team had a goal of finishing ahead of the Harvard women's team this year and were able to accomplish that in their first race opportunity of the season, finishing 6th out of 11 teams on the day.

The men raced in the afternoon and they were able to keep the good momentum rolling from the morning with first year James Underwood starting off his college carnival career in a stunning 4th place finish among the EISA men, junior Andrew Defor finished in 10th, and junior Ben Lewis finished in 16th. First year Finn Christiansen also cracked the top 30 in 29th place. Those strong performances were good enough for the men to secure a 3rd place finish as a team on the day.

Head coach Tracey Cote expressed she is "really excited about our start to the season. The entire team skied well, men and women. Natalie O'Brien, Lola Villafranco, and Lydia Kraker finished close together in the top 20 making a nice big jump from last year. It's incredible to have first years James Underwood finishing just off the podium in 4th, and Finn Christiansen in the top 30! Andy DeFor in the top 10 and Ben Lewis in 16th really showcasing the team's depth. It's tough in the EISA to be a podium team, and today the Mules did that!"

The Nordic teams will be racing a skate sprint for the second and final day of the Saint Lawrence carnival on Tuesday the 6th which is also a part of the US Senior National Championships. 

Women's EISA results
Men's EISA results