Colby Carnival Team Results

SUGARLOAF, Maine -- The Bates College Nordic and alpine ski teams placed sixth out of 11 teams at the season-opening Colby College Winter Carnival over the weekend at Sugarloaf USA with 428 points, ahead of St. Lawrence (392), Colby (340), St. Michael's (154), Bowdoin (109) and UMaine-Presque Isle (55), and behind winner University of Vermont (639), Middlebury (624), Dartmouth (614), University of New Hampshire (533) and Williams (471).

Bates had its best showing in any event, fourth overall, in the women's giant slalom, which was shortened from two runs to one due to high winds on Sunday morning. First-year Megan Papineau (Keene, N.Y.) was Bates' top finisher in the giant slalom with a run of 57.44 seconds, good for 12th place out of 52 competitors. Papineau nipped sophomore teammate Whitney Fahy (Carrabassett Valley, Maine) by 0.01 seconds, as Fahy took 13th overall. First-year Liz Thompson (Rangeley, Maine) was 17th in 58.06. Classmate Emily Sampson (Plymouth, N.H.) was 28th (1:00.82) while fellow first-year Perry Kleeman (Litchfield, Conn.) was 32nd in 1:01.22.

Sampson led the Bates contingent in the slalom event, finishing 16th overall out of 52 skiers with a two-run combined time of 1:36.91. Her second run of the day was the sixth-best second run. She was followed closely behind by Kleeman in 18th (1:38.18), including the 14th best second run. First-year Caroline Piper (Lower Waterford, Vt.) was 32nd (1:48.79). Liz Thompson was eighth overall after her first run, but a straddle in her second run took her out of the running.

Sophomore Leo Menard (Biddeford, Maine) led the men's side to seventh place in the giant slalom, with a 53.66-second performance worthy of 10th place out of 52 competitors. Senior Sean McKenna (Manchester, N.H.) placed 26th, and sophomore Jacob Hardy (Farmington, Maine) was 46th, in 1:01.18.

The Bates men were sixth overall in the slalom event, led by McKenna, who was eighth overall with a two-run combined time of 1:54.17, just .06 behind Dartmouth's Alex Felix. Senior Sawyer Fahy (Carrabassett Valley, Maine) was 15th overall in 2:02.22.