The Nordic ski team placed ninth out of 11 teams at the University of New Hampshire carnival in Jackson, N.H., in a 1.4K classic sprint on Friday and a 10K freestyle race on Saturday.
Erin Hatton '12 was the first Bowdoin woman finisher in 55th place in the sprint. Hatton was followed by Olivia Orr '12 in 58th and captain Elissa Rodman '10 in 74th.
"This was [Olivia's] best skiing of the season," Coach Nathan Alsobrook said. "She showed more snap and speed."
The men's classic sprint was led by another first year, Spencer Eusden '12 in 52nd. Niko Kubota '10 finished directly behind Eusden in 53rd and Colman Hatton finished in 54th.
"These three guys were separated by less than .7 seconds," Alsobrook said. "It is promising to see the team finishing competitively close together."
The Polar Bears only race in sprints a couple times a year, and train mostly for longer events.
"The conditions were perfect for classic skiing, cold, fast tracks," Hatton said.
Courtney Martin '09 had the best race of her collegiate career, according to Alsobrook, in the 10K freestyle. She led the Polar Bears, finishing in 43rd. Hatton followed in 59th and Rodman in 70th.
After being out of the racing circuit for a couple of weeks due to a sinus infection, top racer Walt Shepard '10 finished in 34th. Shepard did not race on Friday.
"For him this was not a great result because he is capable of quite a bit more, but this was a tune up to get the rust off," Alsobrook said.
Eusden followed in 45th and Hatton in 46th.
Eusden had a particularly notable weekend. The course was a good fit for him because he has natural speed.
"He is a first year gaining experience and getting better as he adjusts to collegiate racing. He has a lot to look forward to," Alsobrook said.
The 10K course was just redesigned to bring it up to world cup standards.
"It was quite challenging, like professional skiing, with narrow windy trails and quick transitions," Alsobrook said.
Alsobrook was particularly impressed with the improvements by the women's team.
The Nordic team will race in the University of Vermont carnival in Stowe, Vt. this weekend.