Hagen, Shortridge Win Skate Titles At Nordic Skiing State Championships

GRANBY – Summit’s Ella Hagen and Poudre School District’s Cade Shortridge won individual skate state titles on Thursday, the first day of the Nordic Skiing State Championships at the YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch.

Hagen clocked the fastest time in the girls’ race, coming in at 17:47, while Shortridge became the first skier from Poudre School District to win a state title in any skiing event.

Shortridge held a slight advantage over Summit’s James Sowers to claim gold, as Shortridge turned in a time of 15:36 and Sowers clocked in at 15:49. Summit’s Carter Niemkiewicz was third with a time of 16:11 and Vail Mountain’s Will Brunner and Middle Park’s Dane Jensen were close behind to finish fourth (16:15) and fifth (16:22), respectively.

Summit’s Parker Osborn edged Evergreen’s Tyler Blair out of sixth, as both skiers clocked times of 16:34. Battle Mountain’s Miles Mckenzie took eighth with a time of 16:36 and he was followed by Summit’s Brody Henning in ninth (16:47) and Battle Mountain’s Theo Krueger in 10th (17:12).

On the girls side, Battle Mountain’s Lindsey Whitton was second in a time of 18:24 and Poudre School District’s Clara Statkus took third in 18:47.

Fourth place went to Battle Mountain’s Kira Hower (19:01), while Lake County’s Chloe King took fifth in 19:07. She was followed by a pair of teammates, Brynna Lenhard, who took sixth in 19:13, and Clara Kirr, who was seventh in 19:21. Battle Mountain’s Bella Willams was eighth in 19:39, while Poudre School District’s Ellayna Potter took ninth (19:48) and Battle Mountain’s Ruthie DeMino rounded out the top 10 in 19:53.

The classic races will take place tomorrow, with the girls race scheduled for 11 a.m., and the boys race set for noon. The relay races will follow with the girls at 2 p.m. and the boys at 2:30 p.m. Individual awards and the presentation of the team trophies will take place around 3:15 p.m.