CRAFTSBURY — The Middlebury College ski teams finished second overall at the opening carnival of the season this pat weekend, hosted by Harvard at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort. The Panthers were just four points behind the University of Vermont.
Vermont won the event with 867 points, followed by Middlebury (863) and Dartmouth (839). The Panthers return to action this weekend at the University of Vermont Carnival.
The women’s Nordic team on Saturday placed three skiers in the top six in the 15-kilometer classic race. Alexandra Lawson took second in 46:50, Sophia Laukli placed fourth in 47:03, and Annika Landis was sixth in 47:29.
Peter Wolter paced the Middlebury men on Saturday by finishing third in the men’s 20K classic race in 54:23. Samuel Hodges was 17th in 56:51, and Willson Moore was 31st in 58:12.
On the alpine side, the Panther men placed two in the top five in the giant slalom. Justin Alkier placed fourth in 2:08.17, and Erik Arvidsson was sixth in 2:08.19. Pate Campbell was Middlebury’s third scorer, placing 13th in 2:09.74.
Lucia Bailey paced the Panther women in the giant slalom, finishing in fifth place in 2:12.81. Placing 12th was Nina Reichhelm in 2:14.48, followed by Emma Hall in 21st (2:15.63).
The Panthers had taken a 454-431 lead over UVM after Friday’s action, with team wins by the alpine men and women in the slalom and the Nordic women in . 
Tim Gavett’s two-run time of 1:33.70 won the slalom as he picked up his first carnival victory. Alkier earned fourth place in 1:34.30, and Arvidsson was sixth place in 1:34.99.
For the women Ali Nullmeyer took second in her first career race in 1:41.39, while Bailey was fourth in 1:42.01. Middlebury’s third scorer was Madison Lord, whose time of 1:44.72 was good for 17th. 
The Nordic women placed three racers in the top five in the 5K freestyle race, including Lawson’s victory in 13:44. Placing third in 14:02 was Sophia Laukli, followed by Annika Landis, who took fifth place in 14:11.
Wolter paced the Panther men by taking sixth in 25:10 in the 10K skate. Next up for Middlebury was Josh Valentine in 26:37, good for 24th place. Moore was 25th in 26:40.