The men’s and women’s Nordic ski teams have begun their season with several strong performances, making for what Head Coach Nathan Alsobrook called the “best start to the season we’ve ever had.”
According to Alsobrook, varying weather conditions and thin snow cover have done little to slow the team down, and although the Polar Bears only completed two of their six winter collegiate carnivals, Bowdoin skiers have already earned multiple NCAA qualifying points and set school records in both freestyle and classic events.
The team opened its campaign at the St. Lawrence Carnival in Lake Placid, N.Y., on January 18, finishing 10th out of 13 teams. Individual performances made this race especially successful for Bowdoin. Kaitlynn Miller ’14 placed fifth, earning the best individual finish for a female skier in the program’s history in the 15K freestyle. Miller was also the top finisher for women in the 3K sprint, earning 16th place and the fourth-best finish in school history. Captain Hannah Wright ’13 placed second for Bowdoin in both events, placing 46th in the 15K and 34th in the 3K.
On January 27, the team returned to action at the Colby Carnival held in Waterville, Maine. The team improved with an eighth overall finish out of the same 13 teams that competed at St. Lawrence. Alsobrook said that this was a real marker of progress for the team.
“Each weekend, we move to different venues around New England, but we race the same group, the same teams every time,” he said. “You can get some stability there, and if you see yourself moving up the rankings, that’s a real measure of success.”
Despite a better showing overall, however, Miller again stole the show, capturing a fourth-place finish in the 5K classic race, the highest-ever finish by any Bowdoin skier. Both Miller and Wright were honored as All-State recipients. Captain James Crimp ’13 and sophomores Shelby Aseltine and Jackson Bloch took second-team honors.
Because of these impressive individual performances, Alsobrook has high expectations for the team this year.
“Ideally, we’d like to break into the middle of the conference,” he said. “We want to finish seventh or better by the time we get to the regional championships. This is a big goal seeing as we’re a developing team, but we’ve certainly seen some progress there.”
The conference is composed of 13 teams across New England, including Nordic powerhouses UVM and Dartmouth. Despite the daunting task of breaking into the middle of this difficult conference, Alsobrook said he keeps his sights set on success.
“We’re only two carnivals in out of six,” Alsobrook added. “It’s a really exciting thing that gives us real optimism for the next few weeks. We have a future ahead of us, but there’s some junior and senior leadership there that helps anchor down the week-to-week performances.”
The Polar Bears will travel to Stowe, Vt., this weekend for the UVM Carnival.