McLoon Wins 10K at UVM Carnival

One weekend after a career-best, third-place finish in the 15K Classic at the UNH College Carnival, Harvard junior women’s Nordic captain Anna McLoon outdid herself with a win in the 10K Classic at UVM’s Winter Carnival Saturday.

McLoon finished in 39:47.7, ahead of a talented field of competitors from skiing powerhouses such as Vermont and New Hampshire.

The course, two laps of a 5K loop, concluded with a long hill. The incline posed little challenge to McLoon, who powered through her second lap to take the victory.

“She just looked ridiculous going up that last hill—really fast, really strong,” sophomore men’s Nordic captain Ross Feller said.

McLoon’s victory helped the Crimson to a score of 141.0 points and an 11th-place finish in Stowe, Vt.

McLoon’s freshmen teammates Sarah Mitchell and Anna Bingham finished 52nd and 56th, respectively.

In the men’s 10K Classic, Feller came in 60th with junior Ross MacDonald close behind in 64th.

Though Feller called the Nordic conditions “perfect”, the Alpine team was faced with less-than-ideal terrain.

“Especially on the giant slalom, there were ruts and holes on the course,” freshman Susannah Dickerson said.

Many competitors were forced to drop out after falling and missing gates.

In the men’s giant slalom, junior Matthew Perone led Harvard skiers with a time of 2:13.95 and a 35th-place finish. Captain Ryan Myers and senior Bryan Bellmare followed in 39th and 40th places, with freshman Sam Simon in 43rd.

Simon’s performance in the slalom was stronger, as he finished a team-leading 41st in 1:56.44. Myers finished 45th, while the other members of the team did not complete their runs.

For the women, Dickerson continued to improve in her rookie season, coming in 43rd in the GS in 2:33.89. Dickerson also finished 46th in the slalom, one place ahead of junior Rachael Wagner.

Next weekend, the Crimson journeys to Hanover, N.H. for the Dartmouth Carnival.

—Staff writer Lisa J. Kennelly can be reached at kennell@fas.harvard.edu.