YOUR AD HERE »

3-peat: Summit boys ski program wins 3rd-consecutive state title as girls team clinches its own

James Sowers wins classic race, Ella Hagen takes second

News |

Cody Jones

The Summit High School ski program has managed to do it again. 

For the third consecutive season, the Summit boys ski program was crowned as the Colorado state skiing champions after the Nordic ski team successfully sealed the victory in the classic race on Friday, Feb. 23, at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby.

Heading into the 5-kilometer classic race, the Summit boys ski team led Middle Park High School by 43 points in the overall standings, meaning that all the team needed to do to firmly secure the state title was continue to ski like it has been all season long.

The Summit Tigers did just that in the early afternoon hours on Friday, with junior James Sowers leading the way for the team. 

With a dusting of fresh snow blanketing parts of the course, Sowers and sophomore Carter Niemkiewicz sprinted off the start line and began working together to spread out the race.

The two training partners stuck near one another through the first half of the course, but in the latter stages Sowers, who was set on getting redemption for failing to defend his state title yesterday, started to distance himself from the rest of the field.

Sowers chugged up the numerous inclines and flew down the descents, eventually coasting to the finish line as the classic race state champion and a two-time Colorado state champion in a time of 18 minutes, 26 seconds.

“I had my mind set that — no matter what — I was going to win today,” Sowers said of his state title. “If that kid was going to try to blow by me, I was going to stick right on him.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Carter Niemkiewicz nears the finish line during the Colorado state skiing championships in Granby on Friday, Feb. 23.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

Not far behind Sowers was Niemkiewicz, who added another state podium performance to his resume by placing second in 18:49.

Summit’s remaining four skiers all notched finishes within the top 30 of the 60-athlete field. Brody Henning finished in 13th (19:54), Josh Shriver placed 24th (20:42), Griffin Heins finished in 27th (20:49) and Bryce Oppito placed 29th (20:56).

With a score of 167, the Summit boys Nordic ski team placed first in the classic race, edging past Poudre School District in second with 160 points.

36,000 people get the latest news from us daily. You should, too.

Sign up for daily or weekly newsletters at SummitDaily.com/newsletter

Joining the ranks of the early 1990’s Chicago Bulls’ teams and the early 2000’s Los Angeles Lakers’ teams, the Summit Tigers ski program scored 682 points in the overall combined rankings to three-peat at the annual state-championship event. Middle Park finished in second with a total of 626 points while Battle Mountain High School finished in third. 

The third-consecutive state championship for the Tigers not only shows the legacy of the program as a whole, but also the culture of success that lies deep within the athletes on both the Nordic and Alpine teams.

“I loved being part of that last year, and I love being part of it this year,” Sowers said of the team winning state. “It is so awesome to see the whole team — both Alpine and Nordic — come together and celebrate such an event.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Ella Hagen crests the final hill during the state championship classic Nordic race on Friday, Feb. 23, in Granby.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

The Summit girls Nordic ski team also had an awe-inspiring, state-championship-title-earning performance, successfully maintaining its lead at the top of the overall state skiing rankings and holding off Battle Mountain.

With emotions still running high from her state championship performance on Thursday, Summit junior Ella Hagen immediately put herself at the top of the girls classic race and began double poling her way from the start line.

Hagen worked with the front pack through the race, using her aerobic engine to climb up the hills and fight through the wind. Upon reaching the final hill to the finish line, Hagen sat in fourth place and immediately gritted her teeth and dug deeper to move up a final two places before crossing the finish line.

Improving two places from last year, Hagen placed second overall in a time 22:52. Hagen was only beat by Battle Mountain’s Lindsey Whitton in first with a time of 22:36.

Hagen’s performance was backed by two great races from her two Tiger teammates in Heidi Frey and Katherine Williams. Both athletes finished within the top 30 athletes of the race, with Frey placing 15th with a time of 24:46 and Williams finishing in 26th with a time of 25:32. 

Show CaptionsHide Captions

The Summit girls Nordic ski team combined for 154 points to place fourth in the classic race which was just enough for the team to win the state skiing title. 

Summit scored a total of 647 points over the two weeks of competition, beating out Battle Mountain in second (624) and Middle Park in third (593).

Share this story
Local
See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.