HANOVER, N.H. - During one of the most successful days in Saint Michael's College Nordic skiing history, three Purple Knights qualified for freestyle sprint heats on Friday during day one of the Dartmouth College Carnival at Oak Hill Outdoor Center.
 
First-year Henrik Wist (Trondheim, Norway/Heimdal VGS) placed sixth in finals and junior Declan Hutchinson (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) took 10th thanks to a semifinal qualification, as the men finished fourth. Senior Grace Castonguay (Jackson, N.H./Kennett) led the women in 22nd by competing in a quarterfinal.
 
CARNIVAL FACTS

• For the first time in the modern history of the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), since the 1994 season, a pair of Purple Knight Nordic skiers finished in the top 10 on the same day, let alone in the same event.
• The men's squad's fourth-place performance is the best by a Saint Michael's men's or women's Nordic squad in the EISA's modern era. The Purple Knights netted 78 points in a field of 11 schools, clipping fifth-place Colby College (76) and sixth-place University of New Hampshire (75) while narrowly trailing third-place host Dartmouth (82).
• Between the Nordic and Alpine teams, Saint Michael's stands eighth among 14 schools with 214 points, 10 points short of Bates College for seventh.

MEN'S LEADERS

• First-year Henrik Wist (Trondheim, Norway/Heimdal VGS), 6th in 1.3K freestyle sprint, 3:03.10
  • After placing 15th in qualifier (2:36.32), took second in a quarterfinal heat (2:30.00) before winning a semifinal (2:34.40) to advance to six-man final
  • 2nd career top-10 finish, also taking 5th in classic sprint on Jan. 12
• Junior Declan Hutchinson (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School), 10th, 2:37.08
  • 1st career top-10 finish
  • Took 26th in qualifier (2:39.20) before competing in same quarterfinal as Wist, placing fourth (2:31.90) with a time that would have won two other six-man heats and been good for second in yet another. Claimed fifth (2:37.08) in his semifinal heat
• Senior Joey Del Toro (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge), 39th, 2:41.66
• First-year Michael Brännare-Gran (Haslum, Norway/Dønski VGS), 42nd, 2:42.55
• Sophomore Theo Castonguay (Jackson, N.H./Kennett), 55th, 2:44.85
• First-year Andrew Scanio (Lake Placid, N.Y./Lake Placid), 59th, 2:46.54

WOMEN'S LEADERS

• Senior Grace Castonguay (Jackson, N.H./Kennett), 22nd in 1.3K freestyle sprint, (3:06.64)
  • Finished 19th in qualifier (3:11.39) before placing fifth in her quarterfinal heat
• Junior Izzy Quam (Stillwater, Minn./Mounds Park Academy), 50th, 3:18.52
• First-year Zoe Devine (Ely, Minn./Memorial), 51st, 3:18.84
• First-year Phoebe Hussey (Ripton, Vt./Green Mountain Valley School), 54th, 3:20.65
• Sophomore Clara Wyatt (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman), 65th, 3:23.52
• Sophomore Astrid Bakke (Nedre Høvik, Norway/Dønski VGS), 68th, 3:24.93

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S EVENT

• Saturday at Dartmouth Carnival, 10 a.m.