RIPTON — At a four-team home meet at Rikert Nordic Center on Saturday, the Division II Middlebury Union High School girls’ team placed all four scoring skiers in the top seven to defeat visiting D-I power Champlain Valley, 15-23.
Tiger Ursula Volk won the 5-kilometer classic-style race by more than a minute, and Amelia Ingersoll (third), Malia Hodges (fourth by a second over a CVU competitor), and Isabel Rosenberg (seventh) rounded out the MUHS scorers.
Right behind them were Katherine Koehler in eighth, Caroline Kimble in ninth and Kate Oster in 11th as the Tigers dominated. BFA-St. Albans (81) and Colchester (84) rounded out the field, which also included three Mount Abraham independents. Ashley Turner led the Eagle contingent by taking 28th.
CVU narrowly edged the Tiger boys, 18-21, although MUHS skier Sam Hodges posted a solid 41-second individual win. But the Redhawks, led by Tyler Marshall in second, placed four skiers in the top seven to defeat MUHS, the defending D-II champion. Also scoring for MUHS were Cade Christner, third; Tom Hussey, sixth; and Ross Crowne, 11th.
Again, those two teams outpaced the field: Colchester (58) took third, and BFA (94) was fourth on a day in which the temperature in Ripton jumped into the 30s and the snow was soft and heavy.
Weather permitting, the MUHS Nordic teams will return to action on Tuesday at Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden. 
   MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School senior Ursula Volz won the 5K classic race at Rikert Nordic Center Saturday. The Tiger girls won the meet. Photo by Jill Madden
The girls’ varsity top 10 and complete local results on Saturday were:
1. Ursula Volz, MUHS, 20:21.
2. Emma Strack, CVU, 21:38.
3. Amelia Ingersoll, MUHS, 21:49.
4. Malia Hodges, MUHS, 21:54.
5. Sophia Gorman, CVU, 21:55.
6. Meara Heininger, CVU, 22:59.
7. Isabel Rosenberg, MUHS, 23:13.
8. Katherine Koehler, MUHS, 23:14.
9. Caroline Kimble, MUHS, 23:16.
11. Kate Oster, MUHS, 24.00.
21. Claire Wulfman, MUHS, 26:15.
23. Audrey Huston, MUHS, 26:23.
28. Ashley Turner, Mt. Abe, 28:23.
33. Margaret Moody, Mt. Abe, 29:58.
35. Katherine Moody, Mt. Abe, 30:24.
45. Charlotte Keathley, MUHS.
   TIGER JUNIOR SAM Hodges won Saturday’s Nordic meet in Ripton with a time of 16:52. Photo by Jill Madden
The boys’ varsity top 10 and complete local results on Saturday were:
1. Sam Hodges, MUHS, 16:52.
2. Tyler Marshall, CVU, 17:33.
3. Cade Christner, MUHS, 17:35.
4. Baxter Bishop, CVU, 17:36.
5. Harken Spillane, CVU, 18:11.
6. Tom Hussey, MUHS, 18:30.
7. Jack Koskinen, CVU, 18:39.
8. Jared Leonard, CVU, 19:06.
9. Justin McAuliffe, CVU, 19:24.
10. Nikoli Holly, CHS, 19:49.
11. Ross Crowne, MUHS, 20:11.
14. Owen Palcsik, MUHS, 20:41.
44. Harlow Punderson, MUHS.
45. Julian Schmitt, MUHS.
46. Tobias Broucke, MUHS.