The St. Lawrence University Nordic ski teams opened the 2011 campaign on Friday in Lake Placid, NY as the Saints played host to the first EISA carnival of the season. Junior captain Leah Hart led the Scarlet and Brown with a career-best 15th place finish in the women's classic race.

Hart paced the Saints' women's Nordic team with a time of 19:53.5 in the 6K Classic at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. The Meredith, NH native's finish landed the team 27.0 points en route to eighth place overall with 59.0 points. First-year student Amanda Moreland was the next St. Lawrence competitor across the finish line in 20:38.7 for 31st place, while junior Caroline Carpenter rounded out the scoring in 36th position.

Sophomore Kelsey Nichols (50th) and seniors Sophie Allen (53rd) and Libby Hayden (59th) also represented the Saints in the women's 6K Classic.

On the men's side, St. Lawrence finished in 10th place overall in the 10K Classic with 33.0 points. The Saints were led by junior Adam Terko in 36th place with a time of 29:13.1. Senior captain Steven Vargo (44th) and first-year student Eric Lustgarten (55th) also scored for the Scarlet and Brown.

Rounding out the team's line-up on Friday in the men's 10K Classic were junior Teo Jackson (59th), senior Kyle Marvinney (60th) and sophomore Connor Hunt (61st).

The University of Vermont swept all four of the events held on Friday, including both Nordic and Alpine, as the Catamounts claimed the men's Nordic race with 131 points while the women won with 138. Scott Patterson of UVM won the 10K Classic in 26:33.2, while fellow Catamount Caitlin Patterson earn the 6K Classic crown in 18:15.4.

Both St. Lawrence Nordic teams will be in action again tomorrow, Saturday, January 15 on the second day of the home carnival as athletes compete in the freestyle events.