As Spring Break draws closer, the Nordic ski team is working toward its final meet of the season, the Regional Championships, which will be held at Middlebury College this weekend.
Last weekend, at the Williams Carnival in Woodford, Vermont, the Friday classic race brought in mediocre results for the Polar Bears.
On the men's team, sophomores Spencer Eusden and Scott Longwell led the Polar Bears with 41st and 42nd place finishes, respectively.
For the women, first year Hannah Wright and sophomore Erin Hatton brought in the fastest times, finishing 42nd and 43rd, respectively. Both teams finished in 10th place.
In Saturday's freestyle, however, the Bears kicked their game up to a new level.
Eusden once again led the men, this time capturing 20th-place, and Wilson Dippo '12 followed him with an unexpected 32nd-place finish.
"This was a huge breakthrough for Wilson," said Coach Nathan Alsobrook. "He spent last semester in Peru, so he's been playing catch-up all season, and this finish was a nice surprise."
The men's team beat rival Bates College for the fourth time this season.
The women's team was also in high gear in the freestyle. Wright, who has been a consistent front-runner for the Polar Bears all season, led in 33rd-place, and Hatton scored a personal best in 37th-place.
Freshman Jessica Caron also achieved a personal best in 46th place.
Caron "is probably one of the most positive people I've ever met," said captain Elissa Rodman '10. "She is skiing well and I think we can expect to see great things from her over the course of the next few years."
The skiers have undoubtedly begun to feel the stresses of the combination of schoolwork and athletics, but they have been able to remain in good spirits in anticipation of their last event of the season.
"There's tremendous enthusiasm on the team right now," said Alsobrook. "The final carnival is always a lot of fun, and somewhat emotional for the seniors—we're all looking forward to it."