Nordic Ski at the Clarkson Carnival Nordic Races

Nine members of the Army West Point Nordic Ski Team participated in the Clarkson Carnival Nordic Races at the Olympic Sports Complex Cross-Country & Biathlon Center in Lake Placid NY. The event, part of the ECSC (Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference) season, was scheduled to include two days of Nordic racing: Saturday's races were 15K Mass Start Skiathlon competitions (2 laps classic, 2 laps skate), and Sunday's race would be a Mass Start Skate Sprint Relay. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, and due to rain Saturday night, the snow on the course melted, so Sunday's race was cancelled. Peter Elmlinger '19 secured the highest finish for the team in the men's race on Saturday, completing the 15k in 1:47:35. Finishing close behind were his 4 teammates Tyler Stansbury '19 (2:00:09); Lucas Purdy '21 (2:13:27); Matthew Hopwood '20 (2:52:24; and John Erskine '20 (2: 52:40). These times gave Army finishes at 51st, 53rd, 54th, 55th, and 56th places respectively. In the women's race, Dorothy Dennis '20 was Army's standout finisher, with a time of 2:19:46 for the 15k distance. Following Dennis were Kathryn Hilbert '20 (2:48:00) and Birgit-ta Anderson '19 (2:52:00). Tina Le '19 did not complete the race due to a fall, but was not injured. This was the first event of the season for the team consisting of many novice skiers. They showed grit and determination, and look to build on this performance.