Lake Placid, NY - The second day of the St. Lawrence carnival was a skate sprint run in conjunction with US Senior Nationals, and it was really good day of racing for Mules. It was a little warmer than it had been for the past few days, which was welcomed as it was no longer so cold that your face hurt when you stepped outside.
The men had a standout day finishing in a tie for second on the day with UNH among the EISA schools only finishing behind the UVM men. The team was led by
Ben Lewis,
Tyler Watt, and
Finn Christiansen who finished in 6th, 7th, and 8th place respectively and
Matous Matousek finished in 11th place. The entire men's team all skied great as they not only got 3 in the top 10, but also got 8 in the top 30. As a part of the National Championship,
Tyler Watt and
James Underwood both qualified for the junior heats with
James Underwood winning the junior heats in dramatic fashion. The win in the junior heats catapulted James into 2nd on the World Junior Championships ranking list. The USA team will be officially named later this week, but James nearly punched his ticket to Lillehammer, Norway this winter.
The women also had some strong performances on the day led by
Lola Villafranco,
Natalie O'Brien, and
Nyla Scott in 17th, 21st, and 26th places respectively.
Nyla Scott also qualified for the junior heats as a part of the National Championships and ended up finishing 18th in the junior heats on the national stage. The women finished 7th as a team on the day, and collectively the Mules stand in 5th place at the conclusion of the Nordic events for the St. Lawrence carnival. The Alpine events will take place on January, 22nd and 23rd.
Looking ahead the Nordic team will compete at home for the Colby Carnival at Quarry Road Trails in Waterville, ME on January 23rd and 24th.
Men's EISA results
Women's EISA results
EISA team standings