FRESHMAN JORGEN PIRRUNG, seen here in the Feb. 20 freestyle race in Craftsbury, finished in the top 10 in both freestyle and classic racing for the Tiger boys in the Nordic championships.
Photo by JPPhotographyvt.com

CRAFTSBURY/WOODFORD — The Middlebury Union High School girls’ and boys’ Nordic ski teams capped another successful winter with second- and third-place finishes, respectively, in the two-day Division II state championship meet held on Feb. 20 at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and on Tuesday at the Prospect Mountain Nordic Center in Woodford.

Highlighting the Tiger efforts were individual 1-2 finishes in both freestyle racing at Craftsbury and classic style racing at Prospect by senior Beth McIntosh and junior Mary Harrington. Their results on Feb. 20 were faster than those of the top D-I skiers.

McIntosh’s two individual titles gave her four individual D-II championships in her MUHS career, two each in freestyle and classic disciplines. Both she and Harrington, a former individual champion herself, have won multiple relay titles, but their relay teams settled for second behind dominant performances from a deep D-II champion Montpelier squad this time around. Seniors Lila Cook Yoder and Eva Andrews were the second-place Tigers’ other scoring skiers.

Mount Abraham independent June Yates-Rusch also cracked the top 10 in the girls’ freestyle, and Vergennes skier Ellie Eckels was 27th.

The final team scores for the D-II girls were: 1. Montpelier 91; 2. Middlebury 131; 3. Woodstock 153; 4. Lamoille 180; 5. U-32 235; 6. Spaulding 265; 7. BFA-Fairfax 268; 8. Peoples 388.

The second-place result for the Tiger girls snapped a streak of three straight girls’ titles for the program.

On the boys’ side, MUHS freshman Jorgen Pirrung placed in the top 10 in both the freestyle and classic races, and senior Aaron Carr-Perlow joined him in the top 10 in Tuesday’s classic race.

Also scoring for the Tigers in one of the two races or on one of their two third-place relay teams were seniors Matthew Berg and Baker Nelson, sophomore Nate Cook Yoder and freshman Gabe Perchemlides.

Otter Valley senior Luke Calvin posted two top-20 results skiing as an individual.

The final team scores for the D-II boys were: 1. Woodstock 63; 2. Montpelier 108; 3. Middlebury 171; 4. Spaulding 236; 5. Lamoille 244; 6. Peoples 284; 7. BFA-Fairfax 382; 8. Burr and Burton 484.

THE TIGER GIRLS’ freestyle team of, from left, Eva Andrews, Mary Harrington, Lila Cook Yoder and Beth McIntosh is all smiles after the second-place finish in Craftsbury.
Photo by Laura McIntosh

DIVISION II GIRLS

DAY ONE

In freestyle racing on Feb. 20 at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, the results were:

Winner and local skiers: 1. McIntosh, MUHS, 14:35.4; 2. Harrington, MUHS, 14:54.9; and 10. June Yates-Rusch, Mount Abe, 17:45.7.

Also, 16. Cook Yoder, MUHS, 18:39.8; 27. Ellie Eckels, VUHS, 20:32.6; 28. Andrews, MUHS, 20:35.1; Meredith Carr-Perlow, MUHS, 21:05.7; and Sarah Benz, MUHS, 23:09.1.

Relay: 1. Montpelier 35:47.2; 2. MUHS (Cook Yoder, Andrews, Harrington, McIntosh) 36:17.4; 3. Woodstock 36:20.

DAY TWO

Winner and local skiers: 1. McIntosh, MUHS 20:10.5; 2. Harrington, MUHS 20:25.6; 11. Yates-Rusch, Mt Abe, 23:29.9; 26. Cook-Yoder, MUHS, 25.47; 32. Andrews, MUHS, 26:32.1; 38. Carr-Perlow, 28:00.6; 42. Benz, 29:39.2; and 50. Margaret Orten, MUHS, 33.52.

Relay: 1. Montpelier 47:59.4; 2. MUHS (Cook-Yoder, Harrington, Andrews, McIntosh) 49:08.2; 3. Woodstock 50:17.8.

SENIOR EVA ANDREWS works her way up a slope during the second leg of the Tigers’ freestyle relay race in Craftsbury. The Tigers finished second in the event.
Photo by JPPhotographyvt.com

DIVISION II BOYS

DAY ONE

Winner and local skiers: 1. James Underwood, Woodstock 12:20.9; 7. Jorgen Pirrung, MUHS 13:53.3; 12. Aaron Carr-Perlow, MUHS, 14:29.7; 14. Luke Calvin, OV, 14:47.9; 16. Matthew Berg, 14:59.1; Nate Cook Yoder, 15:01.3; 24. Gabe Perchemlides, MUHS, 15:34.5; 30. Baker Nelson, MUHS, 16:30: 33. Eli Bagley, OV, 16:41.9; 35. Kaden Hammond, MUHS, 16:56.4; and 38. Keil Broderson, MUHS, 17:09.6.

Relay: 1. Woodstock 28:03.2; 2. Montpelier 30:05.4; 3. MUHS (Carr-Perlow, Cook Yoder, Berg, Pirrung (30:50.9).

THE MUHS BOYS’ freestyle relay team of, from left, sophomore Nate Cook-Yoder, freshman Jorgen Pirrung, and seniors Aaron Carr-Perlow and Matthew Berg smile after taking third place at Craftsbury on Feb. 20.
Photo by Laura McIntosh

DAY TWO

Winner and local skiers:

1. Joey Sluka, Woodstock 17:25; 8. Pirrung, MUHS 19:07.1; 9. Carr-Perlow, MUHS 19:08.3; 20. Calvin, OV, 20:19.3; 24. Nelson, MUHS, 20:49.2; 27. Perchemlides, MUHS, 20:59.6; 29. Berg, MUHS, 21.09.1; 32. Bagley, OV, 21:25.8; 36. Cook Yoder, MUHS, 21:57.8; 39. Hammond, MUHS, 22:35.7; 51. Broderson, MUHS, 24:24.7.

Relay: 1. Woodstock 38:52.6; 2. Montpelier 44:40; 3. MUHS (Carr-Perlow, Perchemlides, Nelson, Pirrung) 41:35.5.