RICHMOND — Middlebury Union High School senior Sam Hodges’s three-event sweep and overall boys’ title was the highlight of the MUHS boys’ and girls’ Nordic teams’ efforts at the Tour de Chittenden, held in three locations this past Friday, Saturday and Monday.
Hodges won a sprint on Friday at Colchester High School, a distance race on Saturday at The Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, and a hill climb on Monday at Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond. His combined time in the three events of 25:01was more than a minute better than runner-up Aidan Burt of Mount Mansfield.
Overall the Tiger boys finished third in a 10-team scoring field with 65 points, trailing U-32 (29, with three skiers in the top 10) and Mount Mansfield (50) in second. Champlain Valley (72) was fourth.
Julian Schmitt (sixth with a combined time of 28:01), Owen Palcsik (23rd in 30:49), and Will Carpenter (35th in 32:02) were the other Tiger scorers.
The Tiger girls finished fourth with 82 points among nine scoring teams. U-32 (34) edged MMU (40) for first place, with CVU (71) in third.
Seniors Caroline Kimble (14th in 35:00) and Isabel Rosenberg (15th in 35:07) led the Tiger scorers, while Katherine Koehler took 19th (35:52) and sophomore Isabel Olson was 34th (38:58). Malia Hodges was the Tiger girls’ top finisher on Friday and Saturday, taking fifth and eighth, respectively, but did not compete on Monday.
Burlington’s Quincy Massey-Bierman won all three girls’ events and her time of 30:04 bested the runner-up by almost a minute-and-half.
The Tiger boys’ results were:
•  Friday’s sprint: 1. Hodges, 6:28; 14. Cade Christner, 7:07; 17. Schmitt, 7:18; 27. Palcsik, 7:38; 52. Gabe Cason, 8:14.
•  Saturday’s distance race: 1. Hodges, 13:56; 4. Tom Hussey, 15:06; 5. Schmitt, 15:12; 12. Christner, 15:38; 32. Palcsik, 16:59; 44. Carpenter, 17:39; 61. Cason, 18:34
•  Monday’s climb: 1. Hodges, 4:57; 9. Schmitt, 5:31; 22. Palcsik, 6:12; 30. Carpenter, 6:19; 57. Cason, 7:11.
The Tiger girls and the winner’s results were:
•  Friday’s sprint: 1. Massey-Bierman, BHS, 7:25; 5. Hodges, 7:48; 18. Rosenberg, 8:13; 20. Kimble, 8:26; 25. Koehler, 8:36; 38. Olson, 9:05; 41. Audrey Huston, 9:12; 56. Alison Seaton, 9:38.
• Saturday’s distance race: 1. Massey-Bierman, BHS, 16:16; 8. Hodges, 17:39; 17. Koehler, 18:59; 21. Rosenberg, 19:17; 38. Huston, 21:02; 43. Olson, 21:37; 59. Maisie Newbury, 23:25; 63. Seaton, 23:47.
•           Monday’s climb: 1. Massey-Bierman, BHS; 6:23; 13. Kimble; 7:20; 18. Rosenberg, 7:37; 26. Olson, 8:16; 27. Koehler,    8:17; 47. Seaton, 9:26; 49. Huston, 9:32; 74. Newbury, 11:21.