Note: We apologize for being so late with these results.
Nothing like a home course advantage to get the Dartmouth Ski Team back on track this season, after finishing no higher than third in the first three Carnivals. The Big Green skiers put on strong performances in the friendly confines of their home cross country venues Friday, roaring out to a 28-point lead after one day's racing at the annual Dartmouth Winter Carnival and never looking back. Led on Saturday by a dominating cross country performance, the Big Green of Dartmouth won its first EISA winter carnival of the 2004 season, beating arch-rivals Vermont and Middlebury at the 94th Dartmouth Winter Carnival. It was the first time this season that Middlebury had not won. The win marks the first time since 1974-75 that Dartmouth has won its own carnival in consecutive years.
Friday Freestyle races
At the Dartmouth Cross Country Ski Center at Oak Hill, Dartmouth swept the women's 5K freestyle and the men's 10K freestyle events. Sophomore Alison Crocker, who just returned this week from the World Junior Championships in Norway, skied solidly and took first place in 14:24.9, almost eleven seconds ahead of second place finisher Claire Anderson of Middlebury. “Its nice to be home” Crocker said. “The biggest difference between racing in Europe and racing here is the feel of it, with friends and family cheering us on.”
Dartmouth junior Chrissy May was ninth, followed by classmate Liz Harrington in 10th.
In the men's 10-kilometer freestyle, Dartmouth senior captain Andy Hunter took first place in 25:45.7, with teammate Mike Sinnott  also just returned from World Juniors  right behind him in 25:48.9. For Hunter, pace was the key to the race. “My goal was to go out and ski an even race, even though I was a little mentally slow over the first few hills, things got easier as I went along.”
Angus McCusker of St. Lawrence finished in third, followed by Unversity of Vermont teammates Lowell Bailey and Anders Osthus in fourth and fifth. Dartmouth's Eben Sargent finished in seventh place; Zack Hall of Dartmouth was 12th.
Saturday Classic
At the Dartmouth Cross Country Ski Center at Oak Hill, Dartmouth's Ali Crocker and Andy Hunter repeated their Friday successes, with Crocker winning the women's 15-kilometer classical event and Hunter taking the men's 20-k race.
Sophomore Crocker, who returned to Dartmouth this week from the World Junior Championships, won in 53:53.5, more than a minute ahead of New Hampshire's Kate Underwood. Dartmouth junior Chrissy May was third and classmate Liz Harrington was sixth to put three Big Green skiers in the top 10.
In the men's 20-k, there were three Dartmouth racers in the top five. For the second straight day, Hunter was followed to the winner's stand by Big Green freshman Mike Sinnott.
“I'd planned to make my move on the hills, near the top of the course,” said Hunter, the senior captain racing in his final Dartmouth Winter Carnival. “I just ran it like it was a race to the top.”
It was all downhill from there, as Hunter coasted in for the win in 1:07:13.4, almost 50 seconds better than Sinnott. Vermont's Lowell Bailey was third, followed by Middlebury's Garrott Kuzzy and Dartmouth junior Eben Sargent.
Final team scores:
1.Dartmouth 777 2. UVM 729 3. Middlebury 713 4. UNH 584 5. Williams 522 6. Bates 429.5 7. Colby 417.5 8. St. Lawrence 416.5 9. St. Michaels 249.5 10. Harvard 179 11. Bowdoin 95 12. Clarkson 66
Source: Dartmouth press release
