The Nordic ski teams will begin the season this weekend at the Harvard Carnival. (Steve Fuller/flyingpointroad.com)
RUMFORD, Maine --The Bates Nordic ski team begins the 2020 Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association season at the Harvard Carnival this weekend Jan. 17-18. The Bobcat rosters feature a solid group of returning leaders and a number of new faces.
Senior captain Kaelyn Woods (New Gloucester, Maine) is back to lead the Bobcats after competing at the NCAA Championships for the last two years in a row. For the past two years, Woods has led the women's squad in every race during the carnival season. At the 2019 NCAA Championships, Woods, who was one of 14 women's Nordic skiers from the East Region selected to compete, finished 24th in the women's 15K freestyle race and placed 30th in the 5K classical technique race. She combined with Bates alpine skier Griffin Mueller '20 for a 20th place showing at the NCAA Championships.
Woods and junior Carter Ros (Hailey, Idaho), on the men's side, will captain the Nordic teams for the second year in a row.
"Both Kaelyn and Carter have been guiding the team exceptionally well so far and I expect that to continue throughout the year," said head coach Becky Woods, who begins her 26th year at the helm of the Bobcat Nordic ski programs. "With the individuality in our sport, it is very important to have leaders that are responsible and can motivate their teammates, and both Kaelyn and Carter do a really great job at both."
Annie Blakslee (Edwards, Colo.) and Woods are the only seniors on the women's team. "I expect Kaelyn to continue to find herself in the front pack at our carnivals and I see Annie really improving this season," said Woods.
The roster features three juniors in Eliza Blood (Queensbury, N.Y.), Zoe McKinney (North Conway, N.H.), and Maya Seckinger (Winthrop, Wash.). They are joined by sophomores Rebecca Feist (Concord, Mass.), Olivia Skillings (North Yarmouth, Maine), and Kate Weinberg (Wayland, Mass.). Skillings, Seckinger and McKinney are ready to build on strong 2019 seasons, where they rounded out the top three Bobcats at almost every carnival.
This year Woods welcomes four first-years to the women's team in Ella Wolter (Hailey, Ind.), Emma Blakslee (Edwards, Colo.), Olivia Cuneo (St. George, Vt.), and Sarah Gallagher (Dummerston, Vt.).
"I expect really good things from this group. They have competed at a high level and are ready to make the transition to the next stage of competition," said Becky Woods.
There are no seniors on this year's men's roster, but the Bobcats have a deep junior class comprising Tucker Barber (Wilton, Maine), Cole Fuller (Bend, Ore.), Tucker Pierce (New Gloucester, Maine), and Ros. Barber was one of Bates' top three finishers in four carnivals.
"They are a really strong class. They all work together as a whole to lead and motivate the rest of the team," said Woods.
Henry Raff (Hailey, Idaho) and Nathaniel Badger (Edwards, Colo.) make up the class of 2022, and four first-years — Eli Grossman (South Burlington, Vt.), Cal Schrupp (Gilford, N.H.), Sam Delamere (Fairbanks, Alaska), and Zander Martin (York, Maine) — join this year's team. Raff led the Bobcats at the St. Lawrence, UVM and Middlebury carnivals last winter.
The first-years on the men's side, like Class of 2023 on the women's side, have faced strong junior national competition, which has prepared them well for the season ahead.
The Bobcats will host the Bates Carnival on Feb. 7-8 at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. The NCAA Championships will be held March 12-14 at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center in Bozeman, Mont.
