NEWRY, Maine - Sophomore Eirik Kveno (Asker, Norway/Dønski VGS) won the men's giant slalom and classmate Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS) was second in the women's GS to highlight the Saint Michael's College Alpine skiing team's season-opening day in the Bates College Carnival at Sunday River on Thursday. The event was the first of the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) carnival season.
Kveno's victory is the first by a Purple Knight skier in the modern history of the EISA, when it consolidated two divisions for the 1993-94 school year.
TEAM RESULTS
- The Purple Knights are third among 13 schools following day one with 175 points, trailing only Colby College (183) and Dartmouth College (226).
- Saint Michael's bettered such traditional regional powers as fourth-place University of New Hampshire (163), the seventh-place University of Vermont (112) and eighth-place Middlebury (111).
- The men took third in the GS with 96 points, short only of New Hampshire (107) and Dartmouth (115).
- The women were sixth (79), narrowly trailing UVM (82) and Middlebury (83).
MEN'S LEADERS
- Sophomore Eirik Kveno (Asker, Norway/Dønski VGS), 1st in giant slalom, 2:04.00 two-run combined time
- Wore No. 2 bib
- Second career podium
- First career GS podium
- Junior Simen Strand (Høvik, Norway/Dønski VGS), 20th, 2:06.31
- First-year Gray Flanagan (West Burke, Vt./Green Mountain Valley School), 28th, 2:08.28
- Improved 14 spots between runs
- Senior Max Noddings (Sun Valley, Idaho/Sun Valley Community School), 45th, 2:11.32
WOMEN'S LEADERS
- Sophomore Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS), 2nd in GS, 2:08.36
- Started in No. 4 bib
- Won second run by 0.02 seconds (1:08.33)
- Second career podium, both in GS
- Second career second-place finish, but first at a carnival, after NCAA Qualifier last Feb. 20
- Senior Berty Olsen (Oslo, Norway/Persbråten VGS), 27th, 2:12.91
- Sophomore Margrethe Frøland (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS), 37th, 2:15.86
- Sophomore Jenna Braun (Stockholm, N.J./Green Mountain Valley School), 47th, 2:19.46
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S EVENT
- Friday at Bates Carnival, 9 a.m.
- Alpine concludes competition at the event while Nordic begins its season.
