Organizers pulled off a logistical feat this past week by overcoming Mother Nature’s challenges to hold three ski races at a trio of venues for the 2024 Tour de Chittenden.

Montpelier entered the event with limited on-snow training, but all of the Solons’ dryland workouts paid dividends during events at Sleepy Hollow, Rikert and Cochran’s. Sam Brondyke placed fourth overall in the boys standings to lead the Capital City squad, while teammate Clare Pritchard finished sixth in the girls competition.

“We have a great, very experienced team returning this year on both the girls’ and boys’ sides,” MHS coach Brian Carlson said. “We have a solid group of four for each, plus others who are not far behind. One of our top four boys, Steven Supan, has been coming back from a cross country running injury. But we’re hopeful he’ll be back to 100% in time for the last part of the season. We also have a strong group of ninth-graders that will add depth to the team.”

Mount Mansfield’s Brady Morigeau won the boys overall top prize with a three-day combined time of 35 minutes, 13 seconds following Monday’s freestyle hill climb at Cochran’s. Rounding out the podium were Mount Abraham’s Lorenzo Atocha (36:03) and Mount Mansfield’s Farmer Lindemuth (36:20).

Leading the way for the Montpelier boys were Brondyke (36:28), Ben Wetherell (eighth, 37:39), Jay Borland (17th, 43:47), Dylan Bacon (28th, 46:32) and Tyler Bacon (40th, 49:10). Teammate Sage Grossi placed third during Monday’s hill climb after finishing 63rd out of 237 skate sprint racers during last week’s U.S. Cross Country Skiing Championships in Utah. Harwood’s top Tour de Chittenden skiers were Atticus Ellis (16th, 43:37), Callum MacCurtain (29th, 46:40) and Callum Robison (45th, 51:57).

Mount Mansfield’s Kate Carlson triumphed on the girls’ side with an overall time of 41:42. CVU’s Estella Laird placed second in 43:06, while Mount Mansfield’s Seven Bowen was third in 44:25. Clare Prtichard paced a strong Montpelier girls contingent by finishing in 46:42. She was followed by teammates Adele Pritchard (ninth, 48:16), Marie Voisin (11th, 49:26), Miriam Serota-Winston (54:55) and Anna Newara (22nd, 55:32). Harwood was represented by Pippa Diller (17th, 52:45), Hadley Andersen (30th, 57:32) and Piper Floyd (35th, 1:01:17).

Last year the Montpelier boys and girls both finished runners-up at the Division II state championships to cap a breakthrough season. The Middlebury boys claimed the title with 76 points and the Solons wound up with 115 points to hold off third-place Woodstock (146 points). The Middlebury girls triumphed with 51 points and were trailed by second-place Montpelier (121 points) and third-place U-32 (138 points).

This winter’s early-season results indicate that the Solons could be strong contenders to dethrone the Tigers and capture their first championship in program history. And accomplishing that goal would be especially head-turning for a team that jumped over some major hurdles after local ski trails turned into mud during heavy rainfall three weeks ago.

“It wouldn’t be winter in Vermont without some unpredictable weather, but the team has handled it well,” Montpelier coach Brian Carlson said. “We had some great early-season skiing both at Montpelier High School and at U-32 and I was really impressed by how good everyone looked. The past couple of weeks we had to go back to dryland training: running and using the weight room at school. BBut everyone had a good attitude about it. Several of our skiers also are part of the Craftsbury Ski Club, so they were able to get on snow at Craftsbury a couple of days a week.”

NORDIC SKIING

Vermonters excel

A big contingent of Vermonters and athletes with strong ties to the Green Mountain State delivered exceptional performances during the U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah.

University of Vermont standout Haley Brewster won the 10-kilometer freestyle women’s championship with a time of 54 minutes, 37.2 seconds. Former UVM All-American and current Craftsbury Ski Club racer Margie Freed claimed the bronze medal in 54:52.5. Former St. Johnsbury Academy and Middlebury College star Alexandra Lawson also excelled for the Craftsbury squad, placing sixth in 55:04.4.

Middlebury College competitor Sea Brams was seventh in 55:06.8, while Waterbury’s Ava Thursday finished ninth in 55:33.7. Stratton Mountain competitor Lauren Jortberg was 10th in 56:07.9 and teammate Alayna Sonnesyn finished 17th in 55:44.7. UVM’s Annie McColgan wound up 19th (56:47.6), while Craftsbury’s Michaela Keller-Miller (32nd, 58:16.6), UVM’s Elizabeth Tuttle (35th, 59:28.9) and Stratton’s Evelina Sutro (36th, 59:32) also showcased their combination of speed and endurance.

Dartmouth’s John Steel Hagenbauch won the men’s 20k race in 46:35.8 and former Middlebury College competitor Peter Wolter was fourth in 37:35.8. Current Middlebury athlete Logan Moore placed seventh in 47:44.7, while Craftsbury’s Braden Becker finished eighth in 47:50. Peru’s Will Koch was 10th in 47:52.1, while Montpelier’s Brian Bushey placed 11th in 47:53. Jay’s Jack Young finished 43rd in 52:48.8 and Middlebury’s Jack Christner was 56th in 54:47.5.

Freed was sixth in the classic sprint and Lawson qualified for the semifinals. Thurston, Jortberg, Sutro and Wheelock’s Nina Seemann were also among the top-30 racers in qualification who punched their tickets to the heats. Koch and Bushey both advanced to the semis on the men’s side, while Wolter and Becker made the cut for the quarterfinals.

Koch captured the national crown in the skate sprint and was joined on the podium by silver medalist Logan Diekmann and Hagenbuch, who claimed the bronze medal. Area skiers who qualified for the heats also included Wolter (ninth), Young (13th), Stratton’s Finnegan Bailey (23rd) and the Green Mountain Valley School duo of Joseph Graziadei (28th) and Tabor Greenberg (29th). Greenberg also placed second out of 135 junior racers during the 10k freestyle event, while Graziadei was 27th.

University of Utah racer Karianne Olsvik Dengerud secured top honors in the women’s skate sprint final in front of Sonnesyn (second), Brewster (third) and Lawson (fourth). Not far behind were Jortberg (eighth), Seemann (11th), Thurston (12th), Freed (13th), Keller-Miller (14th) and McColgan (22nd).

BOYS BASKETBALL

Hazen 84, Oxbow 44

BRADFORD – The Wildcats easily returned to their winning ways Monday after suffering their first loss of the season last week against Thetford.

Freshman Jameson Lamarre scored 20 points for Hazen, while teammate Xavier Hill recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. The Wildcats also featured solid performances by Gabe Michaud (13 points, eight rebounds), Sully Laflam (11 points) and Morgan Michaud (10 points). Oxbow’s top scorer was Ethan Davis (10 points).

“It was a good-bounce back game for us,” Hazen coach Aaron Hill said. “We are getting healthier — and as a result, we had more energy. Morgan Michaud and Jamison Lamarre both had strong games.”

Hazen improves to 6-1, while Oxbow now stands at 3-7. The Wildcats will host Randolph at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Milton 63 Northfield 29

NORTHFIELD – The Yellowjackets used a big second-quarter surge to put some distance on the Marauders during Monday’s victory.

Kayden Geraw (16 points) and Jacob Rathbun (12 points) paced Milton, which led 7-4 after the first quarter and headed into halftime with a 29-6 advantage. Northfield was paced by Kane Knapp (seven points) and Zeke Aronson (six points). Northfield falls to 0-8 and Milton improves to 2-7. The Marauders will travel to play Winooski at 7 p.m. Wednesday.