MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — The Castleton men's Nordic skiing team kicked off the USCSA National Championships at Mammoth Mountain Tuesday with the 7.5km Classic event.

Encountering slopes pounded with nearly 12 feet of snow in the past week, the Spartans were paced by Antonio Mannino who placed 36th with a time of 30:22.0. Shawn Allen collected a 60th-place finish, crossing the line in 38:23.6. The duo combined to finish 11th in team competition.

Aiden Ripp of Paul Smith's completed the course in 25:05.6 for the victory. He was joined by Clarkson's Conner Roberts (25:39.3) and Wyoming's Andrew Siegel (25:57.4) on the podium.

Led by Ripp's seat atop the leaderboard with two more top-ten finishes, the Bobcats earned 14 points to edge Western Colorado (17 points) for the top spot. Clarkson (25), Wyoming (36), and St. Olaf (62) also logged top-five finishes.

The Spartans return to action tomorrow to compete in the Skate Sprint.