The three Nordic skiers from Bates College competing at the Bates-hosted NCAA Skiing Championships closed out the event with impressive performances from all three, allowing the Bobcats combined ski teams to finish 13th in country.
Before a large crowd of Bates supporters on a picture-perfect March day, senior Sylvan Ellefson (Vail, Colo.) placed 12th and senior Sam Evans-Brown (Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.) was 27th in the Men's 20K Free Technique Mass Start race, after sophomore Natalie Ruppertsberger (Plainfield, N.H.) came in 29th out of 38 competitors in the women's 15K Freestyle race.
"I think they all did great. Anytime you come into one of these championships you hope for the best, and you can walk away knowing you're one of the elite skiers in the country, regardless of your finish," said Bates Nordic coach Becky Woods. "Sylvan was really close to the top 10; I know he really wanted to get in there, but he had a great race. He finished within that pack, just couldn't get into that top 10. Sam had one of his best skate races, and Natalie had one of her best skate races of the year, so I think it's fantastic. I'm really happy for all of them, and I'm pretty proud of them."
Rest of the article
Nordic skiers help Bobcats finish 13th at NCAAs
Nordic skiers help Bobcats finish 13th at NCAAs
