By james art 
Nordic Skis | 26.01.2025 15:01:00 h
Ripton, VT – the combination of Joey Ruhana, Matthew Claren and Finn Payne Shone on Sunday as the Clarkson University Nordic Ski Team closed out day two of the Middlebury Invitational at the Rikert Outdoor Center.
Teams competed in the Classic Team Sprint, a relay competition with three athletes making up a team that alternated skiing 3 legs of a minimum of 1km and a maximum of 1.5km each with all competitors riding the same loop.
The trio of Rouhana, Klarn and Payne made up the Clarkson A team that combined for 29:52.61 and first place out of 24 teams and was the only team to come in under 30 minutes. The Dartmouth A team and the Paul Smith College A team followed in second and third respectively, rounding out the day’s top three. In ninth place overall, the Clarkson B team of Thorsten Brickley, Silas Barthol and Adam Jansen Crossed the finish line in 33:03.32, just three seconds behind eighth place. Rounding out the competition for the Golden Knights in 13th in 35:14.52 were Oliver Dolcino and Patrick Murray on Clarkson C’s combined team with SLU’s Declan Rogers.
For women, Skylar Francis, Reagan Jolie and Claire Yanas Made the Golden Knight’s lone team of the day. The trio combined for a time of 49:29.01, good for a 21st-place finish out of 25 teams.
Both the men and women will be back in action on February 1 and 2 as they take part in the Paul Smith Invitational at the Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretive Centre.