Carleton’s Nordic ski team capped off an impressive season with a strong performance at the 2015 ski nationals from March 14-21.
The competition, held at Lappe Nordic Ski Centre in snowy Thunder Bay, saw both the Carleton’s men’s and women’s sides finish in third place in the overall team standings.
Fourth-year skiers Kendra Murray and Colin Abbott were the most impressive Ravens at the event, earning themselves All-Canadian honours.
Murray finished third overall and Abbott fourth.
Other notable Carleton skiers included Steffan Lloyd, who placed eighth, Carrington Pomeroy in 14th, and Kyla Vanderzwet, who also finished in 14th.
Raven’s coach Nicholas Clifford said he was pleased with everyone’s effort at nationals and additionally throughout the ski season.
“I thought we skied very consistently throughout the days. At this time of the year, it’s pretty impressive,” Clifford said. “The athletes that came to ski nationals and those who raced throughout the season raced really well.”
The team was coming off of a remarkable showing at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships held in the middle of February.
The men’s side raced to their eighth gold in team history while the women grabbed the silver. The performance earned the Ravens eight OUA All-Stars.
“I think the results show for themselves,” Clifford said. “To be able to still maintain a high level of performance at this time of year is pretty impressive.”
Compared to the brutal weather at the provincials, which saw an entire race day wiped out due to extreme temperatures, the conditions in Thunder Bay remained relatively positive.
“Course conditions were fairly typical of nationals, warm during the day and cold at night,” Lloyd said.
Vanderzwet agreed with her fellow skier’s assessment.
“The cold isn’t so bad unless it’s so cold you can’t race,” she said. “But when it’s really warm your skis get pretty slow.”
With a gruelling five races in eight days, some of the Ravens said they felt worn out throughout the event.
“We have some off days in between but the fatigue definitely does build up,” Lloyd said. “Especially by the time you finish the last race, a 50-kilometre.”
While the team’s members could look different next season, with seven members being in either their fourth or fifth year, Clifford said he’s not overly concerned about the next winter’s ski team.
“We have a lot of graduating athletes this year, but it’s not too unlike other years. We carry a large team,” he said.
Clifford said some people considering a master’s degree could also suit up next season.
“We have strong skiers who have been there as OUA All-Stars before,” he said. “I see them being further up as All-Stars in the top three next season.”
