After another solid performance at the Middlebury Carnival, the nordic ski team is looking to ski into the history books this weekend at the Bates Carnival.
Not only is this the last carnival on the circuit schedule this season, but the Bates Carnival this year also serves as the Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) Championships.
At Middlebury last weekend, junior Spencer Eusden led the Polar Bears on the men's side.
Skiing his best race of the season, Eusden crossed the finish line of Friday's 10K freestyle at 26:26.0, earning him a team-best 14th-place finish. The finish is his best result since a 13th-place result in last year's EISA Championships.
"[Spencer] skied a fantastic race," coach Nathan Alsobrook '97 said. "He's coming into his best form at just the right time."
Coming in second for Bowdoin behind Eusden in the 10K freestyle was fellow junior Scott Longwell, who finished 37th overall with a time of 27:40.5.
Another notable men's finisher was first year Riley Eusden, who crossed the finish line 41st overall, a new personal best.
"[Riley] looked like he'd found another gear out there," Alsobrook said. "[It was] by far the best skiing that I've seen from him this season."
On the women's side, sophomore Hannah Wright and first year Kaitlynn Miller led the charge for the Polar Bears in the 10K freestyle.
Wright crossed the finish line in 30th place with a time of 32:08.3, just ahead of Miller who grabbed 31st place overall with a time of 32:09.0.
On Saturday, the teams competed in sprint relays for the first time this season. The men's trio of Wilson Dippo '12, Eusden '12 and Scott Longwell '12 came in 13th overall.
The women's trio of Miller, Wright, and Maren Askins '12 crossed the finish line 17th overall. Although the results were not as good as the standard relays, Alsobrook was happy with his team and the event.
"Both teams gave it everything they had, but we just didn't have the pure speed to be competitive," Alsobrook said. "Still, it was a fun race, and everyone enjoyed doing a different format than usual."
With the EISA Championships this weekend, it is now or never for the Polar Bears to make that final push in the regional rankings.
"This is our biggest event of the season," Alsobrook said. "We've been resting and sharpening for a few weeks now, and we should be ready for some great performances."