LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The Castleton men's Nordic skiing team finished the Clarkson Invitational Sunday with a 14th-place finish in the day two relay.

The squad of Shawn Allen, Kristupas Merkelis, and Antonio Mannino completed the race in 39:26.6. Of bottom-half finishing team members (10-19th), Mannino boasted the best three-leg performance with an average time of 3:32.7 including a 3:30.7 first lap. After the senior skier's initial pass, the Spartans got up to 12th in the field before being clipped by teams from Clarkson and McGill.

Paul Smith's' triad of John Thompson, Paul Matthews, and Aidan Ripp came from behind in the final leg to win the race, finishing in 29:14.8. Ripp flew in the last lap, dashing past Clarkson with a 2:48.2 leg — the quickest of any skier in the race. The Golden Knights took second place, followed by Cornell in third place.

Castleton finished ahead of five squads in the 19-team field, including Hamilton and both Army West Point squads.

The Spartans resume action next weekend, February 4-5 at Sleepy Hollow for the UVM Invitational.