Nordic Ski League Opens at Prospect Mountain

 

Updated at 4 p.m. after a scoring correction.

 

WOODFORD, Vt. – The Mount Greylock boys pulled out a narrow victory over Wahconah, and the Amherst girls were dominant on the first day of the Berkshire County Nordic Ski League season at Prospect Mountain.

 

The 2024-25 season got a late start after a late December thaw canceled the planned New Year’s Eve meet.

 

But conditions were just fine five days later as five full boys and girls teams plus individuals from Hoosac Valley and Simsbury, Conn., got a first look at the site of the Massachusetts State Championships.

 

For the Mounties, it was the first competitive look but hardly the first time at the southern Vermont venue.

 

“We’ve been doing a lot at Prospect here,” said Patrick Holland, who placed second overall to lead Mount Greylock to a team win. “Some of us go to Eastern Cup. We went to one in Craftsbury [Vt.]. That’s good for us, helps us a lot. We’ve been doing a lot of [dry-land] training at our school.”

 

The course on Saturday was a little different than the usual layout for high school meets at Prospect, with just one loop and one major hill, at the start, but it still presented a challenge.

 

“I think it definitely helped people to be technically sound and very gliding and make sure you’re pushing everywhere,” Holland said. “There’s not a lot of rest you can get. I think it was a good course. It was fun.”

 

Fritz Sanders of Wahconah won the boys race in a time of 13 minutes, 10 seconds, one second ahead of Holland.

 

The Mounties then had the next two places with third- and fourth-place finishes from Knowl Stroud and Simon Shin.

 

The first Lenox boy over the finish line was Jackson Carhart in 16th place, who was followed – virtually, after the waves were sorted – by teammate Everett Shapardson in 17th.

 

The girls race was a sea of maroon as Amherst placed four finishers in the top eight places to earn a 29-point victory over runner-up Mohawk Trail in the team standings.

 

Addie Mager was the fastest Hurricane, coming home in 16 minutes, 45 seconds.

 

She could not catch the fastest girl on the course, Mount Greylock’s Lauren Miller, who easily took first in 16:17.

 

With Amherst dominating the girls race, there was a battle for second place among Mohawk, Lenox and Mount Greylock.

 

Mohawk Trail took the silver with 44 points, followed by the Millionaires (45) and Mounties (48).

 

Charlotte Niswonger led Mohawk Trail, coming in third as an individual. Lenox’s Jane Elliot cracked the top 10 with a seventh-place finish.

 

Racing as an individual on Saturday morning, Hoosac Valley’s Kim Mach finished in 23rd place to represent the Hurricanes.

 

And while there were just five full teams in the varsity competition for the opener, the league showed signs of future growth as newcomer Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter of Hadley made the trip to the Green Mountain State to enter racers in the junior varsity races.

 

Photos from this meet here.

 

Girls Team Scores

1. Amherst, 18 points; 2. Mohawk Trail, 44; 3. Lenox, 45; 4. Mount Greylock, 48; 5. Wahconah, 87.

 

Girls Top 20

1. Lauren Miller, MG, 16:17; 2. Addie Mager, A, 16:45; 3. Charlotte Niswonger, M, 17:11; 4. Ella Workman, A, 17:19; 5. Elizabeth Sawicki, A, 17:40; 6. Jane Elliot, L, 17:43; 7. Zoey Candito, A, 17:47; 8. Corrine Somes, M, 18:01; 9. Ada Comer, M, 18:14; 10. Audie Tresp, L, 18:33; 11. River Wolaver, A, 18:37; 12. Megan Tucker, W, 18:39; 13. Lila Kousch, L, 18:43; 14. Elizabeth Spelman, MG, 18:57; 15. Mia Holmgren, MG, 18:58; 16. Hannah Carhart, L, 19:08; 17. Fiona Ward, L, 19:12; 18. Josephine Bay, MG, 19:19; 19. Allison Rivers-Lussier, L, 19:21; 20. Maya Filson, MG, 19:23.