State skiing: Summit win boys, Battle Mountain win girls team championships

GRANBY – The team champions were crowned at the 2022 state skiing champions, Friday evening. In the girls competition, Battle Mountain mounted a comeback to win the team title, while in the boys competition, Summit controlled both days to capture the championship.

For Summit, who finished with 630.5 points, it is a return to the proverbial summit, as they haven’t won the team title since 2013. The Tigers upped their hold on the most boys team titles in Skiing, which is now 20. Finishing runner-up for the fourth year in a row was Battle Mountain, who had 603 points.

In the girls competition, Battle Mountain trailed Summit by 40 points after day one, but stormed back in day two to finish with 577 points, just two points of second place Aspen. It is the sixth team title for the girls in program history, and the first since 2019. The Huskies had finished runner-up to Aspen the last two seasons.

The individual races contested on the final day were the Alpine slalom and Nordic classic.

In the girls Alpine slalom event, Summit’s Paige Peterson, who won last night’s giant slalom event, once again reigned supreme, as she turned in the top combined time of 1:30.07. The race came down to .19 seconds, as second place, Aspen’s Cate Simpson, clocked in with a 1:30.26. Simpson almost completed the comeback after round one, as her run two time of 43.39 paced the field.

Summit also led in the team points for the event, as after Peterson, Keira Horvath placed sixth and Luci Brady placed 11th. Rounding out the top-five individuals were Evergreen’s Adriana Kahanek in third, Battle Mountain’s Robin Pavelich in fourth, and Middle Park’s Olivia Niedzwiecki in fifth.

For the boys on the slopes, Middle Park junior Sebastian Wiser took gold with a time of 1:25.58, almost two seconds ahead of the field. He helped lead his team to top points in the event, as teammate James Briggs placed fifth and Garrett Gillest was right behind in sixth.

Yesterday’s giant slalom winner, Durango’s Toby Scarpella placed second with a time of 1:27.90. In third was Summit senior Dylan Smith, followed by Aspen’s Connor Stephen in fourth.

Over on the Nordic classic track, in the girls race Middle Park’s Sylvia Brower took first with a time of 19:51.2, which was the only sub-20 minute time of the field. She took 13th place in the event last season. That helped her team to the top score in the event with a 171. Her teammates, Annie Kuhns and Elizabeth Hammond, placed fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Also in the top-five were Lake County’s Ella Bullock in second. She also placed second in the skate race last night. In third was Michaela Kenny of Aspen, and fourth was Ella Hagen of Summit.

For the boys, Eagle Valley’s St. John Ferguson swept the Nordic events as he took first in classic with a 16:02.0. The race wasn’t close, as second place finished more than 20 seconds behind. Eagle Valley took the most team points in the event with 162.

Rounding out the top-five were Lake County’s Jace Peters, Battle Mountain’s Sullivan Middaugh, Middle Park’s Gray Barker, and Summit’s Roan Varble.