RUMFORD, Maine -- Bates men's Nordic senior captain Zander Martin turned in the performance of his career to date, taking ninth place out of 91 competitors in the 7.5K freestyle Friday at the Bates Carnival, held at Black Mountain of Maine. 

Martin (York, Maine) raced to the finish in 19:02.9, earning 31 carnival points and 29 NCAA points. The Bates men had a big day overall, with three top-30 finishes. Sophomore Mathias Boudreau-Golfman (Londonderry, Vt.) finished in 15th place with a time of 19:26.8, good for 26 carnival points and 16 NCAA points. Junior Cal Schrupp (Gilford, N.H.) rounded out the scoring for the Bobcats with a top-30 finish of his own, taking 23rd in 19:53.2, and earning 20 carnival points to go along with eight NCAA points. 

Combined, the men finished in fifth place in the 7.5K skate with 77 carnival points, just four points behind fourth-place University of New Hampshire. 

On the women's side, junior captain Olivia Cuneo (St. George, Vt.) got her season off to a strong start by finishing 14th out of 90 competitors, completing the 7.5K freestyle race in 22:56.0. Cuneo earned 26 carnival points and 18 NCAA points. Sophomore Nina Chosy (Madison, Wis.) and sophomore Katie Watt (Concord, N.H.) rounded out the scoring for Bates in 45th and 53rd place respectively. 

Senior Rebecca Feist (Concord, Mass.) was not designated as one of the eligible point scorers for Bates, but she placed 51st overall, good for the third-best finish among the Bobcats, with her time of 25:37.5. 

Combined, the Bates women scored 49 carnival points, enough for eighth place, and just one point behind seventh-place Williams.

Through two days, the Bates Nordic and alpine teams have tallied 344 points, seventh-most out of 14 schools, and just three points behind sixth-place Harvard.

The Nordic teams are back in action Saturday at 10am for the men and 12pm for the women, when they will compete in the 10K freestyle. No classical technique races are being held this week due to the conditions on the ground. 

The alpine slalom races were postponed on Friday due to the thick snow on the ground, which poses an injury risk. The Bobcats will instead compete in the slalom Saturday at 9:30am.