NCAA 15/20K Skate

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day at Middlebury for the conclusion of the 2013 NCAA Championships. Upon arrival the temp was around 15 degrees, but by the women's start at 10AM it was above 32 and for the men into the 40's. Not a cloud in the sky. By the time the men started the conditions were getting extremely slow, which made for a grueling race! The crowds were HUGE with teammates, alums, parents and coaches everywhere. During the finish the noise level was crazy.
Christina and Olivia skied very well fighting hard  the entire race and finished 29th and 37th respectively. This was a great conclusion to an outstanding season for both of them. NICE JOB LADIES!!! The men's race started at noon and due to the conditions and tactics the lead pack stayed 20-30 strong for most of the race. Will was sitting in a great spot after a couple of laps and was moving up when he broke a pole and fell back to the rear of the lead pack. After getting a proper replacement pole Will skied like a champ and worked his way back up toward the front of the race. With .5K to go Will was safely in 16th place, but a crash on the final corner took him out and 5 skiers were able to get by him and he finished in 21st. A great result considering the mishaps on the course! Isaac skied very consistent throughout the race and was able to hang with the lead pack. Watching the race you might have thought the guys up front were holding back a bit, but the pace was very fast and skiers that had finished at the top of the EISA circuit all year were being shelled off the back. Isaac skied aggressive and smart and with 1.5K to go was only 19 seconds out of the lead! As the sprints unfolded he stayed in a good spot and skied to an outstanding 23rd place finish in a tough field. All four skiers represented Williams with pride and the NCAA races wrapped up a great season for the entire team. Here are some pictures from the race (mostly from Peter Hoenig):

THE NCAA CREW
Kelsey, Geordie, Christina, Jay, Isaac, Will, Bud, Olivia

Christina and Olivia in the 15K

Kristin and Elena enjoying the sun

Ian and Casey supporting their teammates with the grill!

Phil getting some work done on his tan

HAPPY 19th Birthday OLIVIA!!

Isaac racing in the 20K

Will early in the race

Olivia in the 15K

Laura and Sarah enjoying the day

And a few videos from my phone of the skate races:

Women's 15K 2013 NCAA Start from Williams Nordic Ski Team on Vimeo.

Women's 15K NCAA on course from Williams Nordic Ski Team on Vimeo.

Men's 20K 2013 NCAA Start from Williams Nordic Ski Team on Vimeo.

Men's 20K NCAA at 3.5K from Williams Nordic Ski Team on Vimeo.