The Panther alpine and nordic ski teams are set to host the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) Championships on Friday and Saturday. This weekend also serves as the Middlebury Carnival, with alpine events at the Snowbowl and nordic disciplines at the Rikert Outdoor Center.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers have placed in the top-four spots in the East in every edition of the championship since 1986.
• Middlebury claimed the crown in 2004 and earned runner-up accolades on 16 occasions.
• The team has finished third or fourth in each carnival this season, including a trio of thirds heading into the weekend.
• The alpine men claimed the giant slalom (GS) discipline at the University of Vermont Carnival while finishing second in two other competitions. The women's side tallied third-place efforts twice during the GS this winter.
• The nordic squad has finished runner-up across seven disciplines this season, with four coming from the women's team.

NORDIC PANTHERS TO WATCH

• On the women's side, Shea Brams has finished in the top eight in seven of her 10 races. The Panther has logged five podiums, earning runner-up laurels during the 7.5K event at Colby and the 3x5K relay last weekend at Williams.
• Mica Bodkins raced to fifth during her first showing of the season and owns a quintet of top-10 efforts, while Sofia Scirica has posted four top-10 finishes.
• Pacing the men's team is the duo of Mason Wheeler and Nathan Doughty. Wheeler has landed a spot inside the top 10 in six races this winter, highlighted by a third during the 7.5K at Williams. Doughty has collected a pair of third-place races and contributed to the 3x5K relay that was fifth last weekend.
• Finn Veit has sported a strong campaign, accumulating a quartet of places inside the top 15. He crossed the line with identical seventh-place honors at Colby and Dartmouth.

ALPINE PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Nicholas Unkovskoy has produced a solid third winter during the carnival circuit. The Panther has posted five showings in the top-10 spots, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the GS last weekend.
• Having a breakout sophomore campaign, Milan Novak stood atop the GS podium at the UVM Carnival and has four top-10 races this season. Julian Arthur has progressively improved as his initial campaign has unfolded, posting a pair of podium efforts (third in the GS, runner-up in the slalom) at Vermont to secure EISA Men's Alpine Skier of the Week accolades.
• On the women's team, Kjersti Moritz has competed in a pair of carnivals after competing on the U.S. Ski Team. The sophomore has won both of her outings in the GS at Dartmouth and Vermont.
• Sophia Tozzi has finished in the top 10 on four occasions this year, including a runner-up showing in the GS at Williams and a third-place clocking at St. Lawrence.
• Also contributing to the scoring output has been Kaite Fynn with five top-20 performances.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• The University of Vermont had won five straight EISA Championships (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) before Dartmouth claimed the team title in 2025.
• The Big Green and the Catamounts have each secured team victories on this year's carnival circuit. Dartmouth has won a trio of crowns, including the Williams Carnival, while UVM has secured a pair.
• Three of last season's four champions return to defend their titles. Dartmouth's Oscar Zimmer claimed the men's GS crown a season ago, while the University of New Hampshire's Jayden Buckrell and Carissa Cassidy of Colby were victorious in the slalom events.
• Zimmer has secured four titles this winter, including three in the slalom. Buckrell has posted a pair of triumphs, while Cassidy won the slalom at Colby.
• The Big Green's John Steel Hagenbuch is set to defend his wins in each of the last two regionals, having claimed both the classic mass start and the freestyle individual. Hagenbuch's teammate Jasmine Droulet won the freestyle individual and graduated, signifying that a new winner will be crowned on the women's side.
• Emma Crum of Bowdoin is back after leading the field to the line during the classic mass start last season in the regional race.

EVENT INFORMATION

• SCHEDULE
  • Friday, February 20
    • 8:45 a.m. - Women's Giant Slalom (1st run)
    • 10:00 a.m. - Men's 7.5K classic individual start
    • 10:00 a.m. - Men's Giant Slalom (1st run)
    • 12:00 p.m. - Women's 7.5K classic individual start
    • 12:15 p.m. - Women's Giant Slalom (2nd run)
    • 1:00 p.m. - Men's Giant Slalom (2nd run)
  • Saturday, February 21
    • 9:00 a.m. - Men's Slalom (1st run)
    • 10:00 a.m. - Men's 20K skate mass start
    • 10:15 a.m. - Women's Slalom (1st run)
    • 12:00 p.m. - Women's 20K skate mass start
    • 12:45 p.m. – Men's Slalom (2nd run)
    • 1:30 p.m. – Women's Slalom (2nd run)
• FACILITIES
  • All alpine events will take place at the Middlebury Snowbowl
  • All nordic events will take place at the Rikert Outdoor Center
  • The two facilities are located 2.1 miles apart from each other. If you are trying to get from one location to another, we recommend budgeting at least 15 minutes for travel time and parking.
• Live Results
• Final Results

The EISA seasonal awards will take place at the Middlebury Snowbowl after the alpine competition.