2002 Season Archives

STEGEMAN RECOVERING AFTER ACCIDENT

January 8, 2003 — Zach Stegeman, a 2002 graduate and former member of the Saint ski team, is recovering from his skiing accident, which occured last June in Bend, Oregon.

Stegeman, who was paralyzed after colliding with a tree, underwent surgery and is now able to walk again. His energy levels are returning to normal, and he, his family, and all the members of the St. Lawrence skiing community are thankful to all those who offered assistance in any way.

STEGEMAN INJURED IN SKI ACCIDENT

June 5 — Zach Stegeman, who graduated last month and was a member of the Saint ski team was injured in a skiing accident in June in Bend, Oregon.

Stegeman, who was paralyzed after colliding with a tree, underwent surgery and all are hopeful and optimistic for good health. He is making progress in his rehabilitation and his spirits are great.

As a recent graduate, Zach has minimal health insurance and the costs associated with the accident, including search and rescue, will be very high. Friends of the Stegemans in his hometown of Yarmouth, Maine, are in the process of establishing a fund-raising program to help defray the costs. Those interested in helping out should contact Stacie Johnston via email at staciej@maine.rr.com.

A 5 K Walk/Run to benefit Zach will be held in Yarmouth on August 17. Details on the race and an entry form are here.

VASTAGH 18TH, MEDINGER 28TH AT NCAA SLALOM CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 11 — Marta Vastagh finished 18th and Melissa Medinger was 28th in the women's slalom competition at the NCAAA National Skiing Championships held at Mt. Alyeska near Anchorage, Alaska.

Vastagh was 16th after her first run of 49.91 and had the 18th fastest time on her second run to finish 18th with a two-run total of 1:38.66. Vastagh finished 30th in the giant slalom last Wednesday.

Medinger put herself into 17th place after her first run of 50.20. However, she missed a gate on her second run and lost valuable time hiking back up the hill and around the gate, finishing the day with a total time of 2:05.85. Medinger took 24th in the giant slalom.

Marte Dolva of New Mexico won the race in a time of 1:31.24 to lead the Lobos to the slalom team title with three racers in the top-11. Dartmouth was the top team from the EISA finishing fourth.

Vastagh and Medinger skied well enough to put the Saints in at 12th. St. Lawrence finished 18th overall as Denver University claimed its third consecutive team national championship. Vermont was the top Eastern team, finishing fifth overall.

MEDINGER 24TH AND VASTAGH 30TH IN NCAA GIANT SLALOM CHAMPIONSHIP

March 7 — Sophomore Melissa Medinger took 24th and freshman Marta Vastagh took 30th in the women's giant slalom event at the NCAA Skiing Championships at Mt. Alyeska near Anchorage, Alaska. Aurore deMaulmont from the University of Alaska Anchorage won the event in a time of 1:55.90. The University of Denver put three skiers in the top six to earn the team title.

Medinger finished with a two-run time of 2:02.73, good enough for 24th place and 16 team points. Vastagh, who returned from the Olympics just in time to head to the NCAA Championships placed 30th. She had earned 10 points with her time of 2:07.04.

Both Medinger and Vastagh will run in the slalom event on Friday, March 8.

SAINTS EIGHTH AT MIDDLEBURY; MEDINGER AND VASTAGH QUALIFY FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

February 25 — The St. Lawrence University ski team finished eighth at the Middlebury Winter Carnival as the host Panthers finished second to the University of Vermont in the final carnival of the 2002 Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association circuit. Two St. Lawrence alpine skiers, Melissa Medinger and Marta Vastagh, qualified for the NCAA Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 6-9 at Mt. Aleyska with the University of Alaska-Anchorage acting as the event host.

Medinger tied for 16th in the slalom and took 35th in the giant slalom to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships while Vastagh, who has spent the last two weeks in Salt Lake City at the Olympics, had several impressive finishes early in the season to work herself into a position to qualify for the NCAA Championship.

The women's alpine team had a tough second day on the giant slalom course at the Middlebury Snow Bowl on Friday. Medinger was the Saints top finisher in 35th with a time of 2:15.36. Rebecca Schwing took 41st with a time a 2:17.78 while Maggie Doutre and Andrea Ferri were 53rd and 56th. Abigail Manter did not finish the second run, a finish that does not reflect on her terrific freshman campaign. Jessica Smith of Middlebury won the race in 2:06.78, leading her team to victory with three Panthers in the top five and five in the top eight.

In the women's slalom, Medinger tied for 16th place, finishing her first run in 49.02 and her second run 48.49, with a two-run time of 1:37.51. She earned 29 team points and 15 NCAA points for the finish. Schwing was the second Saint to cross the line in 1:43.05, taking 32nd position. Ferri and Doutre came in back-to-back with Ferrie taking 40th and Doutre 41st. Manter was 21st after her first runoff 49.85, but she was forced to hike on her second run, losing precious time and finishing 49th.

In men's action at the snow bowl, Dartmouth won the team title in the slalom as their Roger Brown won in a two-run time of 1:25.06. Stephen Patterson and Tim Witman continued their late season surges, placing 19th and 20th. Patterson finished in 1:31.41 on the Ross course at the Snow Bowl while teammate Witman was just seven one-hundredths behind him in 20th. Nicholas Gush took 31st in 1:35.95. Nicholas Nadolski and Stephan Jacob did not finish their first runs.

Witman and Patterson switched in the giant slalom with Witman finishing first for the Saints and Patterson next. They were still back-to-back, and just six one-hundredths of a second apart this time with Witman taking 39th in 2:05.91 and Patterson in 40th at 2:05.97. Jacob Down was the Saints third scorer earning 11 team points for his 46th place finish. Jacob took 49th and Gush was 51st. Vermont beat Middlebury by one point to win the team title as Catamount skier John Minahan finished first in 2:00.81.

Angus McCusker had a pair of 18th place finishes in Nordic action at the Rickert Ski Touring Center. McCusker finished the 10-kilometer classic race in 34:32.5 to lead the Saints in Friday's competition. Zach Stegeman took 22nd in that race with a time of 34:53.2 to earn 25 team points. Derek Hackman was the Saints third scorer in 29th position while Noyes was just behind in 31st. Tyler Magnan took 42nd and Josh Wyman was 45th. Torgier Lien of Vermont won the race in 31:10.1, 1:17.6 ahead of the next finisher, to lead his team to the win.

McCusker was 18th in the 15K freestyle on Saturday, rounding the course in 40:43.9 while Stegeman took 20th, just under six seconds behind in 40:49.8. Hackman was 24th to give the Saints a solid team finish. Wyman took 37th and Magnan was 50th. Noyes ran into some trouble on course and did not finish. Lien of Vermont won his second race in as many days, but this one was more competitive as he barely nudged teammate Ethan Foster by seven-tenths of a second. Vermont won the team title.

In the women's 5K classic, Tora Olafsen and Brenna Knowles finished together with Olafsen taking 20th in 19:49.8 and Knowles coming just behind in 21st with a time of 19:51.2. A trio of Saint skiers came in 26th through 28th. Katy Demong was 26th (20:05.1), Melissa Hayman was 27th (20:06.7) and Meghan Burns took 28th (20:09.7). Becca Barron was 36th. Anna Harrington of Dartmouth led the Big Green to the team win with a first-place finish in 18:24.3.

Middlebury squeezed out Vermont by one point in the women's 15K freestyle on Saturday. Vermont's Claudia Reithofer won the race in 44:37.1. Demong led the Saint finishers in 47:11.9, taking 23rd position. Olafsen and Burns were St. Lawrence's other scorers in 31st and 32nd position. Olafsen finished in 48:52.7 while Burns crossed the line in 49:39.5. Knowles took 35th with her time of 50:40.0 and Barron was 43rd with a time of 52:03.5.

McCUSKER TAKES NINTH IN 10K AT WILLIAMS CARNIVAL

February 18 — Angus McCusker had his best finish of the season in the men's 10-kilometer classic Nordic race at the Williams Winter Carnival, placing eighth among college racers to lead the Saints to a seventh-place overall finish. Vermont won the team title over Dartmouth with Middlebury taking third.

The men's Nordic team had the best results of the weekend, placing sixth on both days. McCusker rounded the course at Mt. Prospect, Vermont, in a time of 28:11.6, finishing ninth overall, eighth among college racers, to earn 26 team points and 29 world cup points. It was McCusker's best finish of the season. Zach Stegeman was the Saints next finisher in 30th position in 29:53.0. Derek Hackmann earned 12 team points in 27th position and a finishing time of 30:58.3. Josh Wyman finished 39th, Noah Noyes was 42nd and Scott Leuenberger took 44th for the Saints. Justin Freeman of the New England Nordic Ski Association won the race in 25:43.2. Brayton Osgood of Dartmouth was the first college finisher in 27:06.7 to lead the Big Green to the team title.

In the men's 3x5K freestyle relay on Saturday, the Saint trio of McCusker, Hackmann and Stegeman took sixth place in a time of 35:56.9. Stegeman raced the fastest split of the three in 11:51.8, moving the team from ninth to sixth in the last five kilometers. The Saints second team of Noyes, Wyman and Leuenberger finished 13th crossing the line in 38:16.5. Vermont's team of Sean Gallagher, Ethan Foster and Audun Knudsen finished first in a time of 34:19.2 to take the team win. The men's alpine team also raced well, taking eighth in the giant slalom and sixth in the slalom event.

In Friday's GS, Tim Witman was 22nd to lead the Saints skiers, posting a two-run time of 2:04.58 to earn 18 team points. Jacob Down was 26th, .75 seconds behind Witman, as they both earned NCAA points with their finishes. Chad Jacob was the final Saint scorer in 39th position. Matthew Furney was 43rd and Stephen Patterson took 48th. Middlebury took four of the top six spots and won the team title as James Cochran finished the course in 2:01.23 to take first.

In the women's giant slalom, Melissa Medinger and Abigail Manter, the Saints top two skiers through first half of the season, both failed to finish their first runs. Maggie Doutre came across the line in 2:23.36 on the Whirlaway course at Jiminy Peak. Andrea Ferri was 34th, earning seven team points and Kimberly Kernan came in 40th. Alexandra Krebs of Vermont won the race by over one second to lead the Catamounts to the team victory.

The Saint women's Nordic team had a solid group finish with Tora Olafsen leading the way with a time of 35:09.3 and a 20th place finish in the 10K classical race. Melissa Hayman was 23rd and Brenna Knowles was 25th as the three scoring skiers for St. Lawrence were separated by just over 21 seconds. Meghan Burns finished 35th in 37:02.0 and Becca Baron crossed the line in 41st. Dartmouth's Erin Quinn-Hurst continued to dominate the women's Nordic events as she finished 28 seconds ahead of anyone else. Middlebury won the team title, however, placing their three scorers in the top seven.

Quinn-Hurst anchored Dartmouth's 3x5K relay team, leading them to a first place finish on Saturday with total time of 39:54.5 and Vermont nipping on their tails, finished 1.1 seconds behind. The St. Lawrence trio of Hayman, Burns and Olafsen finished 11th in 45:11.7 as Burns had the best split time of the three at 14:45.7. Knowles and Barron joined with Courtney Wilkinson from Vermont to finish 13th.

In the men's slalom, the Saints had one of their better finishes of the season taking sixth place as a team. Down, Witman and Patterson took 18th-20th places respectively, separated by just .76 seconds. Down finished the course in 1:53.51 , Witman in 1:53.89 and Patterson had and outstanding second run of 55:01 to finish in a total time of 1:54.27. Nicholas Gush was 26th and Jacob took 32nd. Dartmouth's Roger Brown won the event by nearly two seconds in 1:47.47, but Vermont had three of the top five finishers to win the team title.

Manter continued her solid freshman season with an 18th place showing in the women's slalom, finishing in 1:39.68. Medinger and Ferri were 32nd and 33rd. Medinger had a time of 1:47.62 and Ferri crossed in 1:50.11. Kernan took 38th (1:53.72) while Doutre suffered some trouble on her morning run and failed to finish. Jessica Smith won the race in 1:32.90, over one second ahead of the second place finisher, and Vermont won the team title.

The Saints travel to the Middlebury Winter Carnival this weekend.

SAINTS COMPETE AT DARTMOUTH WINTER CARNIVAL

February 11 — The St. Lawrence University ski team took seventh place at the Dartmouth Winter Carnival, the fourth stop on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association carnival circuit. Vermont won the carnival while host Dartmouth took second and Middlebury was third.

The Dartmouth Carnival featured a men's and women's 10K classical in the Nordic events with a pursuit on day two based on the results of day one. St. Lawrence took eighth in the women's event on day one and moved up one spot to seventh on day two. The men took seventh place on both days.

In the women's 10K classic on Friday, Meghan Burns led all Saint finishers across the line with a 33rd place showing and a time of 35:59.1. Tora Olafsen and Melissa Hayman finished back-to-back in 37th and 38th places earning 29 team points between them. Brenna Knowles was 40th and Becca Barron took 43rd. Ilke Van Genecten of Vermont led her team to a first-place finish with a time of 32:28.7.

In the men's 10K classic Angus McCusker and Zach Stegeman finished 24th and 25th separated by just four seconds. McCusker finished the course at the Oak Hill Cross Country Center in 30:09.5 while Stegeman was just behind at 30:13.7. Derek Hackman was the Saints third finisher at 30th position while Noah Noyes took 36th. Tyler Magnan and Ian Hubbard were 50th and 52nd respectively. Torgier Lein of Vermont won the race and led his team to the victory as he finished the course in 27:03.1, over one minute faster than second place finisher Tom Temple (Dartmouth).

Also on day one, the men's and women's alpine team were competing in the giant slalom at the Dartmouth Skiway. Tim Witman had the best finish of any alpine skier on the day, taking 18th on the Worden's Schuss course. Witman had a two-run time of 2:08.57. Colby's Robert Saunders took first in a time of 2:04.23 while Middlebury won the team title with three skiers in the top eight. Stephen Patterson finished 27th (2:09.55). Jacob Down was the Saints last scoring skier with 14 points and a 34th place finish. Michael Wilcox was 42nd, Fritz Smith took 47th and Jonathon MacDougall took 50th place.

In the women's GS, Melissa Medinger took 27th with a time of 2:18.03, earning 17 team points for St. Lawrence. Abigail Manter was 29th, at 2:18.17. Linda Wilton, in 40th place, also earned team points for the Saints. Maggie Doutre was 48th while Kimberly Kernan and Rebecca Schwing were 50th and 51st. Alexandra Krebs (Vermont) led her team to a first-place showing as she finished the course with the fast time on both the first and second run, finishing in a time of 2:09.44.

Day two saw the Nordic teams competing in the 10K classic pursuit race. The Saint women improved from eighth on Friday to seventh on Saturday while the men held steady to their seventh place position. Dartmouth overtook Vermont in the women's action on day two while on the men's side, the Catamounts held on to the top position.

Erin Quinn-Hurst of Dartmouth moved from third on day one to first on day two to lead the Big Green to the team win in the women's race. She finished the course in 35:21.2 and a total time of 1:08:19.2. Olafsen was the first Saint finisher in 28th position, finishing 24th on the second day, up 13 spots from her Friday finish. Knowles took 31st overall and 31st on day two while Hayman was 32nd overall. Burns was 34th overall and Barron was 39th overall.

In men's action, Stegeman finished 19th on the second day and 21st overall in 1:02:28.8. Hackman was 31st overall and Noyes was the Saints third scorer in 33rd place overall land 31st on Saturday. Magnan improved 15 spots from 50th on Friday to 35th on Saturday for a 40th place finish overall. Hubbard was 45th while McCusker did not start the race on Saturday. Lein took first again with a time of 30:10.1 and a total time of 57:13.1 to lead Vermont to the team title.

In alpine action, both the men's and women's teams took ninth place in the slalom as Dartmouth took first in both races.

Middlebury's Jessica Smith won the women's slalom in a time of 1:32.0 with the two fastest runs of the day. The Saints top two skiers in the event, Medinger and Manter ran into some trouble. Medinger was forced to hike back up-hill after missing a set of gates on her second run and Manter did not finish her second run. Medinger ended up in 44th overall with a two run time of 1:56.44. Schwing was the top Saint finisher in the slalom, finishing in 1:43.33, good enough for 32nd place. Kernan was 42nd and Doutre took 47th. Kelly Dowding did not finish her second run.

Witman took top honors for the Saint men, finishing 22nd overall in a time of 1:36.92. MacDougall was 32nd and Smith was 37th. Down was 42nd overall while Fred Coriell and Bobby Barnes did not finish the race. Roger Brown (Dartmouth) finished first with a time of 1:27.33 to lead the Big Green to a first place finish.

St. Lawrence will travel to the Williams Carnival next weekend.

WOMEN'S ALPINE HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND AT VERMONT WINTER CARNIVAL

February 4 — The St. Lawrence University women's alpine team enjoyed their best team result of the season in the slalom placing fifth on Sunday at the University of Vermont Winter Carnival this past weekend. Host Vermont placed first overall at the carnival with Dartmouth and Middlebury claiming second and third. The Saints were seventh.

In the slalom on Sunday, Saint skiers Missy Medinger and Marta Vastagh placed eighth and 14th respectively, propelling the team to a fifth-place finish in the event. The course on North Slope at Stowe Mountain featured 50 gates and a 168-meter drop. Medinger finished eighth in a total time of 1:36.86 and was just five-hundredths of a second from taking sixth place. Vastagh came in 14th with a time of 1:38.28, marking her second top-15 finish of the season in the slalom. Rebecca Schwing was the Saints final scorer in 34th place, earning 12 team points. Linda Wilton was 49th. Abigail Manter, who's been having an impressive freshman season, did not finish the second run while Andrea Ferri was disqualified just two gates from the end of the second run. New Hampshire's Courtney Strait won the event in 1:35.11, but Vermont took second and third and three of the top seven spots to win the event.

The women's alpine team took sixth in the giant slalom on Saturday, led by Manter and Medinger who finished back-to-back in 22nd and 23rd. Vastagh, who failed to finish the first two giant slalom events of the season, took 32nd with a time of 2:06.23. Manter finished in a time of 2:00.77, earning 19 team points while Medinger crossed the line in a two-run total time of 2:01.39. Schwing was 35th, Wilton took 36th and Ferri was 42nd for the Saints. Shaina Mulkern and Alexandra Krebs, both from Vermont, took first and second as the Catamounts took the team title in the GS.

In men's alpine action, the Saints finished seventh in the slalom. Vermont won the event with three of the top-six finishers. Timothy Witman was St. Lawrence's top finisher in 24th, beating out teammate Jacob Down who finished 25th. Witman had a time of 1:34.98 while Down was just behind him at 1:35.07. Stephen Patterson took 27th as the Saints third scorer, picking up 16 team points with his time of 1:36.54. Michael Wilcox (31st), Chad Jacob (34th) and Nicholas Gush (37th) also competed for St. Lawrence. Dartmouth's Roger Brown took first in 1:29.63.

The giant slalom saw the Saints come in ninth while Middlebury won the event with three of the of the top-five spots. The top-three finishers in the race were separated by just four-hundredths of a second. John Rusten (Middlebury) won in 1:51.82, Hunter Kaltsas (Vermont) was second at 1:51.83 and Robert Saunders (Colby) was third in a time of 1:51.87. Down was St. Lawrence's first finisher in 28th, earning 18 team points with a time of 1:56.61. Patterson took 32nd and Wilcox was 36th, finishing with times of 1:57.70 and 1:59.21 respectively. Witman finished 40th, Jacob 42nd, and Nicholas Gush was 43rd.

Freezing rain on Friday made choosing a wax for the men's 10-kilometer classical Nordic and women's 5-K classical Nordic events difficult. The men took seventh in the 10K while the women took eighth in the 5K with the less than perfect conditions.

Katy Demong took 18th in a time of 23:04.2, earning 18 team points, to lead the Saint women. A trio of Saints, Brenna Knowles, Melissa Hayman and Tora Olafsen, took 32nd through 34th, finished just 16 seconds apart. Knowles had a time of 23:12.0, Hayman 23:12.6 and Olafsen came across the line at 23:28.0. Meghan Burns was 39th and Becca Barron 42nd to round out the St. Lawrence finishers. Dartmouth took first through third, led by Erin Quinn-Hurst who finished in 19:34.1, to take the team title.

In the men's 10K, Torgier Lein of Vermont led his team to a first-place tie with Dartmouth, finishing in 33:54.03. Angus McCusker paced the Saint men with a 32nd place showing and a time of 39:09.1. Zach Stegeman crossed in 33rd place, rounding the course at Trapp Family Ski Center in 39:45.5. Noah Noyes was 40th while Scott Leuenberger took 48th and Josh Wyman was 53rd.

Difficult snow conditions continued on Saturday in the women's 15K freestyle event. Demong again led the Saint finishers with a 29th place showing and a time of 52:48.4. Olafsen was St. Lawrence's second finisher in 33rd with a 53:17.2 time, but was a non-scorer. Knowles was the Saints second scorer in 38th, earning 12 team points. Burns and Barron were 45th and 47th while Hayman did not finish the race. Dartmouth won the team title and had the top finisher in Kate Pearson with a time of 48:14.4.

The men were eighth in the 20K freestyle led by McCusker's 20th place finish and 57:00.7 time. Noyes was 29th (59:15.1) and Stegeman (1:00:21.4) was 36th to round out the Saint scorers. Hackman finished in 37th and Wyman was 40th. Leuenberger finished in 45th. Vermont took the team title and Lein finished a sweep of the Nordic events with a first-place finish in 53:11.7.

St. Lawrence will take part in the Dartmouth Carnival next weekend.

SAINTS SKIING TAKES SEVENTH AT BATES CARNIVAL

January 28 — The St. Lawrence University ski team took seventh place overall at the Bates Winter Carnival racking up 351 team points. The University of Vermont took first while Dartmouth and Middlebury took second and third.

Melissa Medinger had the best Saint finish in any event of the two-day carnival, finishing 13th in the women's giant slalom in a time of 2:50.18 seconds, earning 21 race points. Medinger, who took a fall in the GS at the St. Lawrence Carnival, finished her first run in a time of 1:27.40 before registering the fifth-fastest time (1:22.78) on the second run of the day to finish 13th overall. Abigail Manter finished 21st after an impressive seventh-place finish last week. Linda Wilton took 34th and Rebecca Schwing was 37th. Andrea Ferri and Marta Vastagh, who is on the Hungarian Olympic ski team, did not finish the first run. Shania Mulkern of Vermont finished in 2:42.50 to win the GS just ahead of teammate Alexandra Krebs.

In the men's 10K Nordic freestyle event, Angus McCusker tied for 15th place giving the Saints 21 team points and earning 16 World Cup points. The course at Black Mountain Ski Center feature over 170.8 meters of climbing, including a grueling 50.3-meter climb. McCusker finished with a time of 25:19.4. Torgier Lien of Vermont easily beat the rest of the field with a time of 23:20.5. His teammate, Audun Knudsen, finished second, 68 seconds behind Lien. Noah Noyes and Zach Stegeman had back-to-back 28th and 29th place finishes for St. Lawrence. Derek Hackman (34th), Josh Wyman (43rd) and Ian Hubbard (45th) also competed in the event for the Saints.

The men's giant slalom saw UVM put three skiers in the top five to win the event. Catamount Scott Kennison won in a time of 2:34.19. Timothy Witman was the top finisher for St. Lawrence with a time of 2:40.83, good enough for 23rd place. Jacob Down and Stephen Patterson also earned team points for the Saints, taking 25th and 30th places respectively. Chad Jacob (40th), Jonathan MacDougall (42nd) and Nicholas Gush (43rd) also competed for St. Lawrence.

In the women's five-kilometer freestyle Nordic event, Katy Demong led the Saints with a 23rd place finish, earning 17 team points and eight World Cup points. She crossed the finish in a time of 15:01.5. Dartmouth had the top-two skiers in the event and three of the top-five. Erin Quinn-Hearst won in 13:49.2 with teammate Kate Person just behind at 13:53.4. Meghan Burns finished in 34th for St. Lawrence and Tora Olafsen also earned team points in 36th. Becca Barron, Brenna Knowles and Melissa Hayman finished together, taking 38th, 39th and 40th.

Jessica Smith of Middlebury won the women's slalom event on day two with a combined time of 1:50.67 and the fastest times on both the first and second run. Manter continued her impressive freshman year performances, taking 17th in a time of 1:58.07. Medinger was just behind at 1:58.84 in 19th place. Linda Wilton finished 38th for the Saints, but Vastagh in 43rd was the third St. Lawrence scorer. Ferri took 44th while Schwing missed the 47th game on her first run.

Witman (1:50.71) took 24th for St. Lawrence in the men's slalom while Down (1:51.34) was just behind in 26th place. Gush was the Saints final scorer in 30th place, earning 11 points. Jacob took 39th and teammates MacDougall and Patterson were 44th and 48th. Piotr Kaczmarek of Vermont won with a two-run time of 1:42.97.

The Nordic teams competed in a 4 x 6 K mixed relay at Black Mountain. Two teams made up of two men and two women competed for each school with each skier running a 6-kilometer lap. The team of Brayton Osgood, Erin Quinn-Hearst, Tom Temple and Kate Pearson of Dartmouth won the event in 1:09:57.1. St. Lawrence finished in 12th and 13th. The team of McCusker, Demong, Stegeman and Burns finished in a time of 1:14:52.5 while Noyes, Knowles, Hackman and Olafson came in at 1:16:42.9.

The Saints travel to Mt. Mansfield for the University of Vermont Carnival next weekend.

VASTAGH HEADING TO SALT LAKE WITH HUNGARIAN OLYMPIC TEAM

January 24 — Marta Vastagh (left), a freshman on the St. Lawrence University ski team, will be taking part in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City as part of the Hungarian ski team.

Vastagh was in a van on the way to the Bates College Winter Carnival with the Saints ski team when the news came across. Her mother, Marta Vastagh, called her to give her the news. "We've been sitting on pins and needles for the past couple of days," said Vastagh's mother during a phone interview.

Despite moving to the United States with her family when she was four years old, Vastagh has continued to hold dual citizenship. She visits her native Hungary often and has trained with the Hungarian national team in Austria, Germany and neighboring countries. "There's not many big hills in Hungary, so we go where we can to train. I skied with the team in Austria this past October when I was home visiting," said Vastagh.

Vastagh will compete "in the more technical events- the giant slalom and the slalom," said the Saint freshman. It is the same two events that are run in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association carnival circuit for alpine skiing. At the St. Lawrence University Winter Carnival, Vastagh bounced back from a fall in the giant slalom on day one to take sixth place in the slalom on day two. She had the fastest second run of the day against the Division I field on Draper's Drop at Whiteface Mountain, site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

"I'm most excited about participating in the Opening Ceremonies on February 8," said Vastagh, who plans on leaving campus in early February to meet the team in Salt Lake City. Vastagh had warned professors of the possibility of her missing class work while taking part in the Olympics. "The professors have been very supportive and are helping me work around the two and a half weeks that I will be gone," she said. "My classmates and friends have volunteered to help me and I plan on getting some work done while staying in the Olympic Village."

Vastagh has previous international racing experience having competed in FIS races and Nor-Am's as well as prestigious national competition. She finished second as a high school senior at the Hungarian National Championship, but she remains both nervous and excited about racing in Olympic competition. "I know I've participated in international competition, but this is different. This is the Olympics. To prepare, I just sit down and try to picture the gates and the starting house and making a clean run," said Vastagh.

Vastagh has skied in Utah before, at Snowbird and Snowbasin, but hasn't skied at Park City or Deer Valley, sites of the giant slalom and slalom. She should feel at home, however, as both her parents and brother will be traveling west to see her compete. A small, tight knit family, both of Vastagh's parents are ski coaches. Her father was once a ski coach at Blue Knob, a small mountain in Claysburg, Pa., about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. "They taught me how to ski when I was little," said Vastagh. "But now, they let me go and let my current coaches teach me. I know what I need to work on."

Vastagh joins former St. Lawrence student Lawton Redman '98 in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Redman will be competing for the United States in the biathlon.

VASTAGH, MANTER STAR FOR ST. LAWRENCE ON DRAPER'S DROP

January 21 — Marta Vastagh and Abigail Manter had two of the best finishes for St. Lawrence alpine skiers in the recent history of the program at the St. Lawrence University Winter Carnival in Lake Placid this past weekend. Manter took the spotlight on day one, finishing seventh in the women's giant slalom while Vastagh shined in the slalom on day two, finishing sixth overall and claiming the best time on the second run of the day.

Vastagh, a Hungarian Olympic team hopeful, beat the rest of the Division I field down the Draper's Drop course on Whiteface Mountain in the afternoon finishing the second run in a time of 47.68. The course features a 152-meter drop from start to finish with a flat section that the skiers must maintain their speed on and a steep finish where control is vital. Her first run time of 54.76 left her in 11th and she vaulted her way into sixth with the fastest second run of the day and a two-run total time of 1:42.44. Alexandra Krebs of Vermont won the race in a time of 1:40.40 as Vermont won the team title by one point over Dartmouth.

Rebecca Schwing was the Saints second fastest finisher, taking 39th. Melissa Medinger managed a 52nd place showing after missing a gate on the first run while Maggie Doutre and Andrea Ferri took 55th and 57th. The team finished seventh overall.

On Friday, Manter finished the giant slalom course on Draper's Drop in 1:09.16, good enough for a seventh place finish. The GS course features a steep start and finish with a relatively flat middle section. The giant slalom race was shortened to one run when tough course conditions and limited visibility cancelled the afternoon run. Manter, only a freshman, was the top Saint finisher in the GS. Schwing took 43rd and Andrea Ferri was 46th as the team took seventh. Shaina Mulkern of Vermont took first in 1:07.99, earning her team a tie for first with Dartmouth in the event.

In the men's slalom event on Saturday, Timothy Witman was the top finisher for the Saints, completing the course in a time of 1:38.89, taking 30th place. Jacob Down took 34th with Michael Wilcox coming in at 39th. Chad Jacob and Stephen Patterson took 48th and 50th respectively. Kyle Hildebrand of Bates won the event with a time of 1:31.65 while Vermont claimed the team title.

Vermont's Scott Kennison won the men's GS with a time of 2:09.80, leading his team to a decisive win in the event. Vermont placed three skiers in the top-seven, including a 1-2 finish. For the Saints, Patterson led the charge with a 36th place finish. Wilcox (40th), Witman (42nd), Down (T-45th), and Jacob in 50th rounded out the St. Lawrence finishers. As a team, the Saints took ninth in the giant slalom.

DAY TWO - ST. LAWRENCE WINTER CARNIVAL

January 19 — A new racing format, the six kilometer 2x3 freestyle sprint relay, was used to create an exciting atmosphere at Mt. Van Hoevenberg for the second day of Nordic skiing at the 2002 St. Lawrence University Winter Carnival. Two skiers per school took turns running three laps of one-kilometer races through the woods at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. Two scoring heats for both men and women accounted for the scoring. Vermont won the men's competition, taking second in both heats, scoring 87 points. New Hampshire took the women's relay in the same fashion, taking second in both heats and scoring 87 points.

The Middlebury duo of Tim Weston and Colin Rodgers took first in the first heat of the men's race, leading their team to a second-place tie with Dartmouth. Vermont's Togier Lein, who won the men's 20-kilometer classical race on Friday, and Jordi St. John finished second while Dartmouth's Bryan Osgood and Tom Temple took third in heat one. A pair from New Hampshire, Tom Keefe and Chris Mallory, was first in heat two. Sean Gallagher and Ethan Foster of Vermont took second and Andy Hunter and Even Sargent took third in the heat.

In heat one, Angus McKusker and Zach Stegeman teamed for a fifth-place finish with Noah Noyes and Derek Hackman taking sixth in the second heat for St. Lawrence. The team finished fifth overall.

In the women's race, Darcy Ardent and Jamie Glennaen took second in heat one and Gretchan Czaja and Margaret Maher were second in heat two to lead New Hampshire to the women's team title in the 6K 2x3 sprint relay. Middlebury's Kate Whitcomb and Hilary Patzer took the victory in the first heat. The Dartmouth duo of Anna Harrington and Chrissy May finished first in the second heat as the Big Green and Panthers tied for second place.

For St. Lawrence, Amber Dodge and Katy Demong took ninth in the first heat with Melissa Hayman and Brenna Knowles taking sixth in heat two. The Saints were sixth in the women's competition.

DAY ONE RESULTS OF ST. LAWRENCE WINTER CARNIVAL

January 18 — A new course, Draper’s Drop, on Whiteface Mountain just outside of Lake Placid made for exciting giant slalom racing action at the St. Lawrence University Winter Carnival, the first such event of the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association’s Carnival season. The new course features a 317-meter vertical drop from start gate to finish line and features difficult terrain separated by a relatively flat middle section.

At Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the Dartmouth women's Nordic team took first through third to claim the women's 15-kilometer classic race while Vermont took first and second in the men's 20K classic to win.

In the men’s giant slalom, Vermont took first and second place with Scott Kennison posting a 2:09.8 total time and teammate Hunter Kaltsas finishing just behind at 2:10.25. Kaltsas had the fastest first run of the day at 1:02.46, but teammate Kennison had the fast time on the second run, 1:06.65, to take the victory. Kyle Hildebrand of Bates finished third, Middlebury’s John Rusten took fourth and Andrew Biggs of Dartmouth crossed the line in fifth. St. Lawrence’s top finisher was Stephen Peterson in 36th. Michael Wilcox and Timothy Witman rounded out the Saints scorers in 40th and 42nd places, respectively.

The women’s giant slalom consisted of just the first run as soft snow and poor visibility canceled the second run. A Catamount took first on the women’s side as well with Shaina Mulkern posting a time of 1:07.99, over half a second faster than the second-place finisher, Cristin Copeland of New Hampshire. Dartmouth’s Lindsay Lockhart took third. Abigail Manter of St. Lawrence took seventh place while teammates Melissa Medinger and Marta Vastagh did not finish. Andrea Ferri finished 46th for the Saints.

A trio of Dartmouth women's Nordic skiers were the first across the line of the women's 15K classic at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, led by Kate Pearson who finished the course in 1:04:07.5. Teammates Anna Harrington and Chrissy May followed behind. Middlebury finished second in team scoring and New Hampshire was third.

The Saint women took seventh with Brenna Knowles leading the team with a 20th place showing and a 1:08:13.6 time, earning 22 team points and 11 NCAA points. Katy Demong finished 23rd and Melissa Hayman rounded out the top three St. Lawrence finishers at 28th. Tora Olafsen finished 33rd, Becca Barron was 35th with Amber Dodge taking 46th.

Vermont's Torgier Lein and Ethan Foster finished first and second in the men's 20K classical to lead the Catamounts to the men's team win. Lein crossed the line in 1:09:39.7. Dartmouth's Andy Hunter crossed the line in third. New Hampshire, with three finishers in the top-15, took second while Dartmouth finished third.

The St. Lawrence men took seventh place with Zach Stegeman leading the way in 19th place in a time of 1:13:53.5. Angus McKusker finished 24th while Noah Noyes crossed the line in 33rd. Derek Hackmann and Ian Hubbard were 36th and 37th and Josh Wyman finished in 43rd.

The Carnival continues tomorrow with a Nordic sprint relay at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the men’s and women’s slalom on Draper’s Drop at Whiteface.

THANKSGIVING BREAK TRAINING TRIP HAS NORDIC HOPES HIGH

The St. Lawrence Nordic Ski Team is off to a strong start in the 2001-02 season. After 17 hours on snow during Thanksgiving week at Jacques-Cartier Provincial Park, Quebec (pictures at right) the team is back at college preparing for the upcoming racing season.

The women's team is led by junior capitan Melissa Hayman (Alstead, NH), who is an outstanding team leader and competitive racer. In 2001, Katy Demong of Saranac Lake, NY, established herself as a top contender in EISA racing. She will continue her move to the top in 2002. Four freshmen bring Junior Olympic experience to the St. Lawrence team: Becca Barron (Wayzata, MN), Meghan Burns (Yarmouth, ME), Amber Dodge (Worthington, MA), and Tora Olafsen (Center Sandwich, NH). Seniors Holly Dodge (Worthington, MA) and Brenna Knowles (Haines, OR) have distinguished themselves as strong team leaders. Brenna has set her sights on moving to a more competitive level of EISA racing.

The Saint men are well prepared for the upcoming season. Senior captain Zach Stegeman (Yarmouth, ME) should be a contender for NCAA qualification. Upperclassmen Derek Hackmann (Lenox, MA), Ben Hicks (Cape Elizabeth, ME), Ian Hubbard (Farmington, ME), Scott Luenberger (Taberg, NY), Josh Wyman and Travis Wyman (Swanzey, NH) have all improved steadily throughout dry land training and are working hard to gain a spot on the carnival team. Angus McCusker (Buckland, MA) has shown dramatic improvements in dry land testing and will be a huge contributor to the team. First-year skiers Noah Noyes (Hyde Park, VT), Tyler Magnan (St. Albans, VT) and Matt Fleischner (Westhampton, MA) are very focused and have been consistent in their fall training.

The next several months will bring more on snow training and the beginning of the EISA Carnival circuit starting with the St. Lawrence Carnival in Lake Placid, NY, the weekend of January 18th and 19th. The team will be training hard during January in the weeks preceding the start of the EISA schedule. As part of January training, athletes will take part in U.S. Nationals in Bozeman, MT, and Eastern Canadian Championships in New Brunswick, Canada.

"This season we have a harmonic group with lots of motivation for training and ski racing" said head coach Jim Defoe. "Athletes are supporting one another and pushing each other to new levels. Every workout is making a difference. Our early start over Thanksgiving week, along with a strong dry land training base and a positive team attitude puts us in a position to surprise a few people on the EISA circuit this season."

The alpine team poses for a picture on top of Mt. Ampersand in the
Adirondacks during a team building session on Sept. 9, 2001.

UNDERWOOD 23RD, TREMBLE 32ND AT NCAA'S

March 8, 2001 — Kate Underwood finished 23rd and Eric Tremble was 32nd in the classical Nordic events at the NCAA Skiing Championships hosted by Middlebury College on Wednesday morning. The women competed in a 5K classic-style race while the men raced a 10K classic. Both races took place at the Rikert Touring Center.

Underwood finished to course in a time of 17:24.1, finishing 23rd among the best collegiate racers in the nation. Katerina Hanusova of the University of Nevada-Reno won the race in a time of 15:59.4, 27 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.

Tremble placed 32nd in the men's 10K classic. The senior rounded the course in a time 32:02.0. Wolf Wallendorf of Denver University led a trio of Pioneer racers to the finish in a time of 28:37.5. Denver took the top-three spots in the race. The freestyle Nordic event will take place on Friday morning.