CRAFTSBURY — Despite top-10 finishes by skiers Elvis McIntosh, Jack Christner and Lucas Palcsik on Monday, the Middlebury Union High School boys’ Nordic ski team finished third in the Division II championship meet behind defending champion U-32 and runner-up Craftsbury Academy, the host team at Craftsbury Nordic Center.
U-32 cruised to its third-straight D-II title, winning both the skate and classic races to finish with 41 points. Craftsbury, sparked by Aiden Casey’s individual wins in both events, edged the Tigers for second place, 62-63.
Those three teams were head and shoulders above the rest of the field: Lamoille (168) in fourth, Burr & Burton and Harwood tied for fifth (253), Fairfax (255) in seventh, and Lyndon (294) in eighth.
Two skiers apiece from Mount Abraham and Otter Valley competed as independents, and Eagles Neil Guy and Joe Graziadei each posted top-10 finishes.
The Tiger girls were set to compete in their D-II championship at Craftsbury on Wednesday, which was scheduled to conclude after the deadline for this issue of the Independent. Results will be posted at www.addisonindependent.com and be published on March 18.
Due to COVID protocols, the meets consisted of two shorter races, both contested on one day, with no relay races. Traditionally, Nordic championship events consist of two-day meets, with one day devoted to each discipline, classic and freestyle (skate), with team relays each day.
The boys’ results were:

CLASSIC
Craftsbury’s Casey won the race in 10:06.3.
MUHS: 3. McIntosh, 10:10.4; 7. Christner, 10:26.5; 12. Palcsik, 10:38.7; 15. Zach Wilkerson, 10:56.5; 27. Baxter Harrington, 12:08.6; 35. Ben Seaton, 12:39.1; 42. Lucas Nelson, 13:09.1.
MT. ABE: 6. Guy, 10:22.1; 11. Graziadei, 10:38.2.
OV: 64. Liam Murphy, 15:34; 68. Baker Larock, 19:13.7.

SKATE
Craftsbury’s Casey won the race in 8:41.5.
MUHS: 7. McIntosh, 9:10.1; 8. Christner, 9:18.7; 9. Palcsik, 9:19; 14. Wilkerson, 9:32.6; 18. Harrington, 10:05.9; 35. Seaton, 10:36.9; 28. Trey Bosworth, 10:43.9; 42. Nelson, 12:14.9.
MT. ABE: 6. Graziadei, 9:09.6; Guy, 9.24.1.
OV: 58. Liam Murphy, 12:51.9; 68. Baker Larock, 17:00.7.