Vail Mountain boys win state skate race

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Ian Cropp
Vail, CO Colorado
February 21, 2008

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STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colorado — There's winning and then there's dominating.

The Vail Mountain boys Nordic team nearly swept Thursday's state championship Nordic skate race in Steamboat Springs, taking first, second, fourth and fifth en route to a decisive team win.

Tony Ryerson won the individual title for the Gore Rangers, finishing the 5K Howelsen Hill course in 13 minutes, 19 seconds. Chris Woods was second, with Rob Fitz in fourth and Sean Woods in fifth.

Battle Mountain's Conor Wallace led his team in sixth, while Ian Hamina led Vail Christian in 20th. Sage Smith was Eagle Valley's top finisher in 29th. The Devils, Huskies and Saints finished eighth through 10th, respectively.

Moore, Linder on the podium
In the girls race, Vail Mountain's Karlie Moore was second, eight seconds behind Summit's Briana Perkins. Vail Christian's Jessica Linder took third, with the Gore Rangers' Kaitlin Zdechlik in fifth.

Two other local racers were in the top half of the draw, including the Saints' Lettie Fickling (16th) and the Gore Rngers' Lauren Zdechlik (23rd).

Aspen won the team event with 160 points, while Summit (159) and Vail Mountain (158) rounded out the top three. Vail Christian, with only two racers, was seventh, followed by Eagle Valley in eighth.

For updates, check back to www.vaildaily.com later this evening.