TWO HARBORS— The Ely boys Nordic ski team posted a strong performance at the Two Harbors Invitational on Tuesday as they finished five racers in the top 15 in a field of 52 competitors at the Korkki Nordic Ski Center north of Duluth to take second in the team competition.
Junior Dylan Durkin finished third overall with a time of 21:08, just 32 seconds behind first place finisher James Kyes of Duluth East.
Ely freshman Aksel Skustad finished ninth with a time of 21:55 while fellow freshman Oliver Hohenstein came in at 11th place with a time of 22:51. Junior Eli Olson finished 12th with a time of 22:57, while fellow junior Silas Solum came in 14th with a time of 23:09. Milo McClelland finished 20th with a time of 24:09.
Duluth East, a perennial Nordic ski powerhouse, took eight of the top 11 spots for a team total of 487, while Ely skiers claimed the other three and took second with 459 points.
The girls struggled a bit on Tuesday, finishing fourth among the five teams competing, with 410 points. Senior Claire Blauch was Ely’s top finisher, in 11th place with a time of 25:19. Senior Ava Skustad was right behind in 14th with a time of 25:31 in a field of 47 racers. No other Ely racers made it into the top 20.