Middle Park High School’s Nordic ski team put in a strong showing last Friday in its opening meet of the season at Snow Mountain Ranch.

The Panther ski team took second place in the three-team meet, which was the first of a three-race series in the Tour de Colorado that was launched last year in the midst of COVID restrictions. The teams included Middle Park, Steamboat and Poudre Valley.

“We struggled the beginning of the week just to find trails on which to conduct a race,” Middle Park Head Coach Dan Jamison said. “The snow on Wednesday finally provided enough snow for a very successful race.”

The top finisher for the Panthers was Elizabeth Hammond, who took first place. She was followed in the Middle Park girls standings by Annie Kunz, who took fifth place overall. Haley Miller was the next finisher for the Panthers in 14th place. Other finishers for the girls were Sierra Jamison in 17th and Gabrielle Pellini in 19th.

Gray Barker and Kyle Vogelbacher were the top two skiers for the Panther boys, with Barker taking second place overall and Vogelbacher taking third. Other finishers for the Panther boys were Logan Walker in sixth, Eli Boomer in 18th, and Jack Nesvara in 19th.

One highlight of the event was that two freshman skiers, Logan Walker and Haley Miller, finished high enough in the standings to give Middle Park points en route to the team’s second place finish.

The Poudre School District ski team took first place in the event and Steamboat took third. The event was closely contested, with only one point separating the teams in the standings.