The Summit High School Nordic ski team has always been aerobically strong. 

From charging up hills to pushing deep into the pain cave, the Tigers are familiar with what it takes to outlast competitors on any course and at any distance.

Summit once again displayed its ability to outperform its opposition on Saturday, Jan. 25, as the team competed in a 7.5-kilometer skate race at Snow Mountain Ranch. Familiar with the venue from last year’s state-championship event, Summit took to the start line eager to compete in a longer race than usual.

Summit senior Ella Hagen gladly welcomed the additional race mileage, cruising across the course and securing her second individual win of the season. Hagen finished the race in 24 minutes, 44.3 seconds to top the girls results by eight seconds.  

Hagen was followed by Vail Mountain School’s Isla Elton in second (24:52.3) while Lake County High School’s Finnley Stanek took third (25:36.7).

Hagen was not the only Summit athlete to place within the top 15. Showing the team’s hard work and dedication so far this season, three additional athletes placed high enough to earn qualifiers to the state competition. 

Freshman Elsie Robinson followed Hagen in eighth overall (27:17.8), freshman Marin Little took 11th (27:42.5) and sophomore Heidi Frey finished 15th overall (28:17.6). Sophomore June Baniewicz finished 47th (33:06.8) and senior Katherine Williams finished in 52nd (34:16.5). 

Summit initially tied with Lake County High School in the team results with 209 points, but once the tie was scored, the win was awarded to Summit. The win marks the first team title for the Summit girls Nordic ski team so far this season.

“For the first time, we actually had six girls race, so that was awesome,” head coach Eva Hagen said. “Our top four girls had really good races and Marin (Little) and Heidi Frey worked together which was really, really good. A 7.5K race is probably to our advantage because the athletes are really fit and they have been working quite hard.”

The Summit girls were not the only ones to benefit from the addition of a few kilometers as the boys’ team had an impressive race of its own. 

Confident in the team’s ability to out-ski the other athletes, Summit quickly put three athletes at the front of the race pack. Leading the charge for the Tigers was junior Carter Niemkiewicz. With one win to his name already this season, Niemkiewicz successfully nabbed a second gold medal in Granby.

Niemkiewicz crossed the finish line in a field-leading time of 21:08.4 before senior James Sowers took second in 21:27.0. With Summit already occupying the top two spots on the podium, sophomore Johnny Ryan secured the Summit sweep by taking third overall in 21:35.9.

Senior Bryce Oppito rounded out the scoring skiers for the Tigers by taking eighth overall (23:23.7). Five more athletes then finished within the top 25 including freshman Levi Ryan in 11th (23:48.6), senior Brody Henning in 16th (24:13.3) and senior Josh Shriver in 18th (24:26.7).

Freshman Bodhi Adnan finished in 20th (24:13.3), junior Cain Steinweg took 22nd (24:47.2) freshman Danny Butler took 28th (25:41.3) and sophomore Daniel Robinson IV finished in 30th (26:11.7).

The Summit boys Nordic ski team secured its third-consecutive team win of the season with 230 points. Poudre followed in second with 182 points and Eagle Valley took third with 171 points. 

“The depth of the boy’s team has been our strength,” Hagen said. “… We were one, two, three and eight. It was just really, really fun to watch.”

The sweep of the team ranks marks the first time that Summit has won a meet on both the boys and girls side since Eva Hagen took over as head coach in 2020. Not only is the feat a testament to the coaching of Hagen and her staff, but also the level of effort the athletes are putting into the sport.

“It was definitely well deserved,” Hagen said. “Not so much for me, but for the athletes. It was a big deal to have both teams win. It is a testament to their perseverance. They all have a huge passion for endurance sports.”

Summit will now prepare to compete in a classic race at Eldora Ski Area near Nederland on Wednesday, Jan. 29. With it being the first time Summit has attended the race, Hagen and athletes are not sure what to expect.

“We really have no idea,” Hagen said. “We have been told it is a super hard course. Very hilly, a lot of herringboning and also steep downhills. There is apparently nothing flat at Eldora Nordic Center, so we will see.”

After competing at Eldora Ski Area, Summit will host its home race at Gold Run Nordic Center on Friday, Feb. 7.