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Summit’s Ella Hagen becomes three-time state champion at Day 1 of Nordic skiing championships

Summit boys Nordic team wins team skate title, girls place fourth

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Cody Jones

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit junior Ella Hagen digs deep at the end of the 5-kilometer Nordic skate state championship race on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Granby. Hagen crossed the finish line as the state champion to become a three-time state champ.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include the fact that Middle Park High School’s Samantha Berggren won state titles in Nordic, cross-country and track while in high school.

After the Summit High School Alpine ski team established a considerable lead on Colorado High School ski league teams last week, the Summit Nordic ski team was focused on maintaining and extending that lead at the first day of the Colorado state Nordic skiing championships on Thursday, Feb. 22.

With a stiff wind blowing over the peaks that surround Granby’s Snow Mountain Ranch, the championship event officially got underway with the girls 5-kilometer skate race.

Sporting a 33-point lead over Middle Park High School in the overall combined state skiing standings, Summit junior Ella Hagen worked on stacking up points as she skied swiftly off the start line and began fighting up the hill in the opening stretches of the course. 

Fresh off an impressive second-place finish in the mile at the Let’s Get REAL Indoor Championship 2024 indoor track meet, Hagen showed that she is fit both on the track and on the snow, rocketing her way throughout the course much like she did her freshman year. 

With a few extra years of experience at the high-school level under her belt, Hagen skied across the finish line in 17 minutes, 47 seconds to trade her third-place finish at last year’s meet for a state champion trophy.

“It is incredible,” Hagen said with tears of happiness drifting down her face. “Don’t know if it has set in yet — don’t know if it ever will. Nordic is an amazing season, it is a season where I get to really have fun and enjoy myself in it. It has been three years where we have been working as a team to do the best we can, so being here with them and finally getting there is an amazing feeling. I could not be happier.”

Hagen is now a three-time Colorado state champion when considering her state titles from cross-country and track and field, marking the first athlete to win titles in all three sports in the last decade.

Battle Mountain High School’s Lindsey Whitton took second with a time of 18:24, and Poudre School District’s Clara Statkus placed third in 18:47.

“It was definitely a power course, and you had to push it,” Hagen said. “The cross-country running comes into play because you just have to dig deep on a course like this and have to be willing to go a little bit deeper than anyone else. Especially today with the wind, every aspect is a challenge, and you have to approach each challenge with being able to grit your teeth and go a little harder.”

Summit senior Lily Zygulski followed Hagen in the results for the Tigers, fighting through the wind and hills to place 15th overall in a time of 20:11. Katherine Williams rounded out the results for Summit, placing 39th with a time of 23:14.

Between the trio of Summit skiers, the Summit girls Nordic ski team scored 146 points to place fourth overall in the state championship skate race. Battle Mountain High School took first with 169 points, Lake County High School finished in second (165) and Poudre School District placed third (152).

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Looking to lead the Tigers’ boys ski program to a third-consecutive state title, the Summit boys Nordic team arrived at the start line with pride and something to prove.

Sitting on a 22-point lead over Middle Park, Summit effectively widened its lead throughout the course of the Thursday skate race, putting all eight of its state skate race athletes within the top 30.

Leading the charge for Summit was defending state champion and junior James Sowers. Similar to last year, Sowers looked like he was in complete control throughout the course, displaying his deep level of fitness.

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Sowers sent his skis across the finish line in a time of 15:49 to successfully punch onto the podium, but he fell 13 seconds short of becoming a two-time state champion. 

Poudre School District’s Cade Shortridge secured the state title with a time of 15:36 while Summit sophomore Carter Niemkiewicz put together a gutsy race to place third overall with a time of 16:11.

Parker Osborn and Brody Henning also snuck into the top 10 for Summit. Osborn took sixth overall, (16:34) and Henning placed ninth (16:47).

Summit’s four final athletes in the race all placed within the top half of the 61-athlete field. Bryce Oppito placed 12th (17:21), Josh Shriver took 17th (17:32), Griffin Heins finished in 22nd (17:51) and Donovan Ramey placed 27th (18:07).

The Summit boys Nordic ski team secured the team title in the skate race, combining for a massive 172 points to beat out Poudre School District in second with 159 points. Middle Park followed the two Nordic programs in third with 151 points.

The Colorado state Nordic ski championships will conclude on Friday, Feb. 23, with the classic race. Following the event, an overall state skiing champion will be crowned from the action over the last two weeks. 

The Summit boys ski program maintains its lead at the top of the rankings with a 43-point buffer over Middle Park while the girls program has a 34-point lead over Battle Mountain. The classic race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m on Friday.

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