RIPTON, Vt. – Declan McCormack won the slalom and Haley Brewster took the 7.5k Skate on the first day of the 2024 EISA Championships hosted by Middlebury College Friday.
After the opening day, the Catamounts sit in first place with 472 points, eight ahead of the Big Green.
 
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Day 1 Results
CatamounTV Highlights: Alpine
 
Back on the EISA Circuit from the World Cup Brewster continued her perfect Carnival season winning her fifth race of the season. She finished the 7.5k Skate in a time of 23.49.8, winning by 10.4 seconds. Annie McColgan was the Catamounts next scorer placing fifth overall in a time of 24:38.7. It was her fifth top-five finish of the season. Camille Bolduc was 11th in a time of 25:14.2 as Vermont's final scorer.
 
Westervelt was the Catamounts top finisher in the 7.5k Skate earning his first solo podium of the 2024 campaign. He placed third overall in a time of 20:21.3. Dartmouth's John Steel Hagenbuch won the event in a time of 19:26.8. Finn Sweet was fourth on Friday in a time of 20:26.1, it was his seventh top-five finish of the year. Owen Young was Vermont's final scorer placing ninth overall in a time of 21:24.3.
 
McCormack claimed his fifth win in his last six starts with a two-run time of 1:34.78 in the slalom. He had the fastest first run in the field at 46.64. Mackenzie Wood was the Catamounts next scorer placing ninth overall in a combined run time of 1:35.74. It was Wood's fourth top-ten in his last five starts. Vermont's final scorer on the day was Magnus Berge Styren who finished 12th in a two-run time of 1:36.13.
 
Justine Clement also had the fastest first run in the women's slalom Saturday in a time of 51.13. She finished second overall for her seventh EISA podium of the season. Her two-run time of 1:42.28 was eclipsed by Middlebury's Mika Anne Reha and her blistering second run of 49.86. Moa Clementson placed fourth overall with a two-run time of 1:42.43, it was her sixth top-five finish of the year. Cydnie Timmermann finished fifth on the day, coming in just .39 seconds after her teammate.
 
The final four races of the EISA Championships and Middelbury Carnival are set for Saturday morning. The men's and women's GS action will begin at 9 a.m. with run one from the Snowbowl, run two is scheduled for 12:30. The Nordic squads will compete in a 20k Classic with a mass start, the men will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the women at noon from the Rikert Outdoor Center. The two locations are 2.1 miles apart, it is recommended that people traveling between the venues allow for 15 minutes of travel time and parking. The EISA seasonal awards will take place at the Middlebury Snowbowl at the completion of the alpine competition Saturday.
 
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