Nordic skier Alena Tofte was a rookie on the rise last season, a talented athlete with a knack for big finishes, which she displayed at last year's Dartmouth Winter Carnival when she surged to 14th place in the last leg of the race.

This year Tofte has taken the next step. With an eighth-place finish in last weekend's 10k race at the TD Bank Eastern Cup and a 15th-place finish the weekend before at the Colby Carnival, the sophomore has demonstrated that she can consistently hold her own with some of the best racers in the region.

Earlier this year, Nordic coach Chris City '94 pointed out that Tofte's offseason training allowed her to come back more powerful than she had been before. That power helped the sophomore earn a second-place finish in the 1k Classic event at the USCan Cup at Forêt Montmorency last November, and her training has continued to pay off in the collegiate carnivals.