UVM, Middlebury Sweep Williams Winter Carnival

The men of Vermont and Middlebury's women continued their domination of the winter carnival skiing circuit by taking this past weekend's races at Williams--for each team's third straight win--and leaving both Harvard ski teams in last place.

The Nordic events were the lone bright spots for the men, as Andy deMars finished 17th in the cross-country, continuing his steady improvement every week after 24th- and 20th-place finishes at the two previous winter carnivals.

David Rand, the Lone Ranger of the Crimson Nordic combined squad, grabbed second place in that category for the second straight week.

These efforts, however, were not nearly enought to offset the poorest performances of the year by the Alpiners. According to Alpine captain Tim Hofer, the races were held on the toughest trail the team had raced on all year. "It's the type of hill where team skiing comes into play. A lot of guys aren't used to that," he said.

Taking a Corner

Friday's giant slalom was set fast with crank turns at inopportune times that led to falls and missed gates by the Harvard squad. The slalom on Saturday was so tough that the University of Maine failed to pick up a point in the event. Harvard's skiers fared only slightly better as all of the slalomers fell and only two finished to pick up a total of 11 points.

The women's races were held on the same trail sans a difficult S-turn; and Kris Hodgkins turned in her customary top-ten performance in the giant slalom, cruising in eighth. Vera Fajtova was the next Crimson finisher slipping in to 21st place.

The slalom was a disappointment, however, as Fajtova took a "hike" after missing a gate; and the rest of the skiers either fell or were disqualified. This is the event that usually makes up for the inexperienced cross-country racers, who finished a combined eighth with freshman Missy Holbrook coming in as the first Crimson finisher.

Next weekend's carnival at Middlebury is the season's finale and is the most crucial. The top two Division II teams will also compete, and they must be beaten if Harvard is to remain in Division I next year.