UNH Carnival (Regionals) Day 2

Elizabeth Graziani

Feb 225 min read

*All photos courtesy flyingpointroad.com

Day 2 of the UNH Carnival marks the end of the 2025 EISA season. Skiers completed three laps of a 5k course shown below. Vibes were high but the day was bittersweet as it was the senior’s last race on the EISA circuit

Course Map

Women

65 women toed the line at 10:00am for the 15k skate mass start race. Like last week’s mass start, the lead pack stayed together for most of the race. A group of about 20 skiers came through the first lap led by Annie McColgan (UVM), Ava Thurston (Dartmouth), and Emma Crum (Bowdoin). A chase pack of four trailed the leaders by about 20 meters. The big pack came through the lap led by Jasmine Drolet (Dartmouth), Shea Brams (Middlebury), and Mica Bodkins (Middlebury). Bowdoin skier Emma Crum made a move in the upper field on the 3rd lap and created separation from the rest of the field. She held everyone off and came away with the win today.

UNH senior Jasmine Lyons came in just two seconds behind Crum. When asked about her race, Lyons commented, “it was such a great race to end on. There was definitely some carnage out there and some messy racing but it was so nice to be going all out with all my best friends. EISA is such a special circuit and I’m so grateful to have been able to experience it. I’m endlessly thankful for the lifelong friends and memories I’ve made.” Rounding off the podium was Dartmouth skier Ava Thurston. When asked about her race, Thurston commented, “Jackson was a great place to cap off the EISA season. I had never raced a carnival here before and I loved the fast and windy trails. The pace went out quick today and the pack stayed together, which made for an exciting race for second and third. I tried to ski the finish well and was stoked to move up in the final sprint.”

Middlebury skier Sofia Scirica skied a fantastic race and placed 4th, her best result so far. Scirica thought that “the conditions and the course were amazing and the race was super hype.” She’s been working on her mass start tactics stating, “every mass start this season I’ve wanted to see how long I can hang on with the front pack, and I did that again.” Scirica also commented, ‘“I was skiing with Mica and Shea in the front of the pack and I was like ‘let’s gooo’ and Mica said ‘I’m skiing with my best friends!’ And in summary, that’s how the weekend felt.”’

UVM skier Annie McColgan capped off an amazing season and run on the EISA circuit with a 5th place finish today. After the race, McColgan reflected on her time skiing on the EISA circuit and said, “it has been my absolute privilege to ski for UVM for the last 5 years. Most people get four, so I’m so incredibly blessed to get one extra skiing with my best friends. I have to say, this year was extra special and I have so much love for the entire girls league. I’ll miss the cheers, the chirps on the line, and duking it out with the best girls in the country. The community has been one I’ve been so lucky to be a part of. I’m so thankful that Patrick Weaver chose to take a chance on a scrappy skier from Bend and give me the chance to be the best skier, teammate, and leader I can be.”

Men

The men’s race kicked off at 12:00pm with 63 starters lined up in the stadium. Unlike the women, the race became very strung out quickly. Halfway through the first lap, there was already a lead pack. John Steel Hagenbuch (Dartmouth), Logan Moore (Middlebury), and Luke Allan (Dartmouth) took it out fast. The rest of the field was pretty strung out. Moore, Allan, and Hagenbuch came through the second lap still in the lead. The race came down to an exciting final sprint between the three in which Johnny just barely edged Moore. When asked about his race, Johnny commented, “yesterday was a fantastic day of racing on all accounts, and somehow today was even better. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect temperature, a roller-coaster of a 5km, and great atmosphere out on the course made for one of my favorite races of my career. Luke and Logan have both been incredibly impressive this season, and we created separation pretty much from the start. I wasn’t confident enough in my ability to break away today, but I was happy to leave it to a sprint. It was a super fun race, and we certainly can’t complain about a double podium today and the first EISA Regional Championships win for the team in recent memory. Also, I’d like to shout out our coach, Brayton Osgood, for winning EISA Coach of the Year for the first time. Thanks for all the hard work, Brayt! Even though we won by a 190-point margin, the job’s not finished. We’re going to stay hungry and hopefully defend home turf in a couple of weeks! GBG!”

Coming in just .5 seconds behind Johnny was Middlebury senior Logan Moore. When asked about his race and time on the EISA circuit, Moore commented, “The EISA carnival circuit is the best circuit in the world. There is no place where the vibes are as good and the racing has such high quality. Today was an awesome day for me and it being my last carnival I held nothing back and went full bore for the win. In the end, I didn’t get it but I am so happy with my results this weekend and this season. Super excited for NCAAs!” Rounding off the podium was Dartmouth senior Luke Allan. When asked about his race, Allan commented, “a narrow and winding course made the mass start race string out earlier than the other races this season. Johnny, Logan, and I broke away on the first lap and skied together for the rest of the race, ending up in a sprint finish. It was a really fun day overall.” When asked about his time on the circuit, Allan said, “as my last race on the EISA circuit I can safely say EISA is the most fun circuit, and the people are what make it happen. The vibes are always unmatched, and people consistently bring energy to every race. It’s been awesome to get to know all the skiers from other schools over the years.”

UVM skier Finn Sweet skied a great race today and placed 4th. This was Sweet’s last race and he reflected on his four years commenting, “it’s definitely bittersweet to have done my last EISA race, but I am really grateful for the time I’ve had on the circuit and all the people that have made it so special. Today was definitely an interesting race, I felt better and better throughout, I think I was down in 17th at one point on lap two so to finish in 4th was solid. This is my first weekend in quite a while that I’ve been healthy for, so I am calling it a success. Feeling excited for NCAAs, and I’m confident that my form can keep improving for those races.”