DULUTH— Ely’s top Nordic skiers placed highly in weekend sprint relay competition held here on Saturday, finishing just behind the teams from Duluth East.
The two-man team of Gabriel Pointer and Jon Hakala finished second in the Class A competition among the six teams participating, with a combined time of 10:52.5. For the girls, Zoe Devine and Phoebe Helms combined for a time of 12:26.3, finishing just ten seconds behind Duluth East.
In Class B competition, Otto Devine and Micah Larson combined for a second-place finish, as well, at 12:04.8. Duluth East’s team blazed through the course, besting the Ely racers by a minute and a half. For the girls, Gracie Pointer and Ava Skustad finished at 14:04.6, good for fourth place.
In Class D boys competition, Ely’s Leo Stalmer and Liam Lacey finished third in a field of a dozen teams, with a time of 12:58.3, which was less than eight seconds behind the first-place finishers.
Ely is set to visit Grand Marais on Friday to take part in the Cook County Invitational. They’ll be hosting another Ely Invitational at Hidden Valley on Thursday, Feb. 3, beginning at 9:30 a.m.