Grace Wright placed 12th out of 92 competitors in the women's 15K classical race at the Colby Carnival on Jan. 23, 2016. (File photo by Dennis Curran/EISA) 

WATERVILLE, Maine -- The Bates men's and women's Nordic ski teams started off the Nordic portion of the Colby Carnival Saturday with 15-kilometer classical technique races at Quarry Road Recreation Area, with both Bobcat squads placing sixth out of 13 teams.

The Bates women scored 71 points, sixth most among 13 squads. Senior captain Grace Wright (Rutland, Vt.) led the Bobcats in 12th place out of 92 competitors, covering the 15K course in 52:27.6. Junior Laurel Fiddler (Crowley Lake, Calif.) came in 19th in 53:00.1 and junior Sadie James (Avon, Maine) took 22nd place in 53:02.7 to round out the team's scoring. Sophomore Halie Lange (Brattleboro, Vt.) and senior Britta Clark (Ripton, Vt.) were also among the top 30 individuals, in 26th and 30th, respectively.

The Bates men's team also had a strong day, taking sixth place out of 13 teams with 64 points, eight more than Colby and six fewer than Middlebury. 

Senior Corky Harrer (Minneapolis, Minn.) led the Bobcats in 22nd place out of 85, covering the 15 kilometers in 43:50.0. Sophomore Parker McDonald (Wolcott, Colo.) was 25th in 44:20.8 and junior captain Max Millslagle (Bend, Ore.) took 31st place in 44:44.6.

With alpine competition complete, Bates' alpine and Nordic teams combined are in seventh place out of 16 teams at the Colby Carnival. The carnival concludes with freestyle sprints at Quarry Road on Sunday morning.