MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. -- The Castleton men's Nordic skiing team finished its 2023 season with the 15K Freestyle event at the USCSA National Championships Thursday.

Due to forecasts showing the Sierra Nevada mountain range to receive around eight feet of snow, the Sprint Relay event and most alpine skiing races were canceled.

The Spartans' top finisher was less than six minutes off the leader as Antonio Mannino posted a 43:57.03, coming in 32nd. Teammate Shawn Allen completed the 15K course in 51:03.28 for a 57th-place finish. Castleton's team score of 117 ranked 12th, one point away from 11th-place Wisconsin (116).

Albert Hesse of Western Colorado claimed the event title with a time of 38:15.29 while fellow Mountaineer Eric DiFolco finished third with a 38:55.12 run. Wyoming's Andrew Siegel collected a runner-up finish, completing the race in 38:45.06. With three top-five finishers, WCU was crowned team champion with nine points. Paul Smith's placed second with familiar foes Clarkson (47) and Cornell (61) in third and sixth, respectively.