RIPTON, Vt. -- First-year Sage Grossi advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1.3K classical technique sprints to pace the Bates Nordic skiing teams Friday at the Middlebury Carnival, held at Rikert Outdoor Center.

Grossi (Montpelier, Vt.) recorded a time of 3:31.11 in the qualifier, placing 25th out of 96 competitors. This was good enough to advance to the quarterfinals, where he crossed the finish line in 3:48.66. Overall, Grossi's 25th-place performance earned the Bobcats 21 carnival points while the rookie picked up nine NCAA points. 

Sophomore Eske Roennau (Aspen, Colo.) and first-year Oliver Wilson (Dublin, N.H.) rounded out the scoring for Bates in 36th and 39th place respectively in the qualifier. Roennau crossed the finish line in 3:34.36, earning 14 carnival points while Wilson recorded a time of 3:35.46, earning 12 carnival points.

On the women's side, sophomore Izzy Glackin (Vail, Colo.) paced the Bobcats, placing 57th out of 86 competitors with her qualifier time of 4:24.36, enough for seven carnival points. First-year Elsa Sanborn (Burlington, Vt.) and senior captain Eva McDonough (Woody Creek, Colo.) rounded out the scoring for the women's team in 60th and 68th place respectively.

Combined, the Bates Nordic and alpine skiing teams scored 121 carnival points on the first day of action at Middlebury, with the Nordic teams competing in the 10K classic Saturday at 9:30 a.m.