Harvard University’s skiing teams are set to conclude their Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) carnival season at the Middlebury Carnival, which also serves as the NCAA Regional Championships. The event will take place from Friday, February 20 to Saturday, February 21. Alpine competitions will be held at the Middlebury Snowbowl in Hancock, Vermont, while nordic events will take place at the Rikert Outdoor Center in Ripton, Vermont.
Friday’s schedule includes men’s and women’s slalom races on the alpine side and 7.5k classic individual starts for both men and women in nordic skiing. On Saturday, alpine athletes will compete in giant slalom events for both genders, while nordic skiers participate in 20k skate mass start races.
In current EISA NCAA rankings, sophomore Duncan Armstrong is ranked 14th overall in men’s alpine. Junior Meredith Schwartz stands at 18th overall in women’s nordic. Sophomore Skylar Sheppard holds 22nd place overall in women’s alpine, and senior Hayden McJunkin is ranked 29th overall in women’s nordic.
During the Williams Carnival—the penultimate EISA event of the season—Harvard achieved three top-30 finishes each in both alpine and nordic disciplines. The women’s nordic team also finished sixth in the classic relay. Notably, Duncan Armstrong placed 11th in men’s giant slalom and 12th in men’s slalom.
Earlier this season at the Vermont Carnival, Harvard recorded three top-30 results each on both sides. Armstrong took fourth place in men’s giant slalom while Schwartz finished seventh in women’s sprint classic. At Dartmouth Carnival, Harvard’s nordic team posted nine top-30 finishes with four athletes finishing among the top-20: Breagh Bridge (17th), Bennett Hutchison (15th), Hayden McJunkin (20th), and Meredith Schwartz (14th).
At other carnivals this year—including Colby and SLU—Crimson skiers continued to earn multiple top-30 placements across both disciplines. In last year’s Middlebury Carnival, Luke Kearing led Harvard with an eighth-place finish in men’s slalom and an eleventh-place result in men’s giant slalom.
The program highlights former athlete Rémi Drolet’s participation with Team Canada at the ongoing Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. Drolet has competed across several events so far during these Olympics and previously concluded his collegiate career as a three-time All-American and NCAA Champion.
Leadership within Harvard’s teams includes two captains for each discipline: seniors Luke Kearing and sophomore Skylar Sheppard for alpine; junior Breagh Bridge and sophomore Bennett Hutchison for nordic. The Crimson roster consists of 24 student-athletes—12 on each team—with representation from all undergraduate classes.
For five consecutive competitive seasons, Harvard has qualified skiers from both alpine and nordic squads for the NCAA Championships; Duncan Armstrong returns after qualifying last year.
The coaching staff features Scott MacPherson as head coach of alpine skiing entering his ninth season after earning EISA Coach of the Year honors twice during his tenure (“Scott MacPherson – The Peter H. Carter ’69 Head Coach for Harvard Alpine Skiing – stands in his ninth season at the helm of the alpine program in 2025-26”). Cate Brams leads as head coach of nordic skiing into her second season (“Cate Brams – The Paul J. Finnegan Family Head Coach for Harvard Nordic Skiing – enters their second season as the leader of the Crimson’s nordic program in 2025-26”).
Looking ahead, selected members of Harvard’s ski teams aim to qualify for the NCAA Championships hosted by University of Utah from March 11–14 with events scheduled at Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
