NEWRY/RUMFORD, Maine - A quartet of Saint Michael's College Alpine and Nordic skiers finished among the top 15 on Saturday during the final day of the season-opening Bates College Carnival.

Sophomore Eirik Kveno (Asker, Norway/Dønski VGS) was third in the slalom following a giant slalom victory on Thursday, classmate Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS) placed fifth in Saturday's slalom, and junior Simen Strand (Høvik, Norway/Dønski VGS) claimed 10th, as Alpine events were held at Sunday River. Sophomore Declan Hutchinson (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) captured 13th in the 10K freestyle at Black Mountain.

TEAM RESULTS

• The Alpine and Nordic squads combined to place seventh among 14 schools with 463 points, just 11 points short of sixth-place Harvard University. The University of Vermont won with 826 points.

ALPINE
CARNIVAL FACTS

• The Purple Knights finished second among 13 schools with 339 points, trailing only Dartmouth (439) while trimming UVM (336) and New Hampshire (333).
• The men also took second (191), narrowly short of Dartmouth (224), while edging New Hampshire (182).
• The women were seventh (148), only three points behind New Hampshire.
• On Saturday alone, the men took third in the slalom (95), just behind UVM (100) and Dartmouth (109). The women placed seventh (69).
• After winning the giant slalom on Thursday, Kveno became the first Purple Knight to podium twice in the same carnival since Guillaume Grand '19 was second in both events at the 2019 Bates Carnival/Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) Championship.

MEN'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Eirik Kveno (Asker, Norway/Dønski VGS), 3rd in slalom, 1:26.29 two-run combined time
  • Finished 0.29 seconds short of winner
  • Stood first after opening run
  • Third career podium
  • Second podium of carnival
• Junior Simen Strand (Høvik, Norway/Dønski VGS), 10th, 1:27.73
• First-year Gray Flanagan (West Burke, Vt./Green Mountain Valley School), T-19th, 1:28.50
  • Started in No. 56 bib
• Senior Max Noddings (Sun Valley, Idaho/Sun Valley Community School), 41st, 1:33.01

WOMEN'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS), 5th in slalom, 1:40.01
  • Started in No. 10 bib
• Sophomore Moa Lundén (Stockholm, Sweden/Jämtlands Gymnasium Åre), 22nd, 1:42.67
• Sophomore Sofie Gjetsund (Oslo, Norway/Persbråten VGS), 35th, 1:47.73
  • Started in No. 73 bib
• Senior Berty Olsen (Oslo, Norway/Persbråten VGS), 36th, 1:47.76
• Sophomore Margrethe Frøland (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS), 44th, 1:48.81

NORDIC
CARNIVAL FACTS

• Hutchinson's 13th-place finish in the 10K freestyle was the best performance by a Purple Knight since Colin Delaney '13 took ninth in the Williams College Carnival 10K freestyle on Feb. 20, 2010.
• The men were 10th on Saturday with 46 points, besting Saint Lawrence University (33) while challenging ninth-place Bowdoin College (52), eighth-place Williams (55) and seventh-place Bates (59).

MEN'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Declan Hutchinson (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School), 13th in 10K freestyle, 24:20.6
  • Second career top-15 finish
  • Third career top-20 finish
• First-year Mitchell Townsend (Gilford, N.H./Gilford), 59th, 26:49.1
• Senior Joey Del Toro (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge), 60th, 26:52.0
• First-year Theo Castonguay (Jackson, N.H./Kennett), 68th, 27:39.2
• First-year Ian Morse (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East), 73rd, 28:43.3

WOMEN'S LEADERS

• First-year Clara Wyatt (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman), 55th in 10K freestyle, 33:01.9
• Junior Katie Culliton (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls), 57th, 33:06.2
• Senior Grace Erholtz (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd), 68th, 34:55.3
• Sophomore Izzy Quam (Stillwater, Minn./Mounds Park Academy), 69th, 35:06.3
• First-year Jocelyn Sommers (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah Regional), 70th, 35:50.3
• Junior Cambelle Nutting (Vassalboro, Maine/Maranacook Community), 71st, 39:05.4

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S EVENT

• Friday when Nordic hosts Day 1 of the Saint Michael's Carnival at Rikert Ski Touring Center in Ripton.
• Alpine competes next on Feb. 27 at the University of New Hampshire Carnival.