RUMFORD — Leavitt successfully defended its turf in the girls’ races at the annual Leavitt Hornet Classic at Black Mountain of Maine on Saturday, placing three skiers in the top eight to edge Falmouth by eight points in the first major race of the 2012 ski season.
Maddie Wiegman led the way for the Hornets with a third-place finish, 2:37 back of winner Abby Mace of Maranacook, but nearly a full minute ahead of fourth place finisher Emily Bland of Windham.
Taren McGray and Lucy Knowlton finished seventh and eighth, respectively, for Leavitt, with No. 4 skier Abby Chase taking 43rd to cement the team’s top spot.
Falmouth’s Catherine Hebson led the Yachtsmen in sixth place, while Sarah Hemphill placed 12th.
Mt. Blue, considered another Class A contender, placed third, one point back of Class B Falmouth and only nine back of rival Leavitt. Led by Mace, Maranacook took fourth in the girls’ overall race, while Cape Elizabeth finished fifth. Other local schools included Oxford Hills (7th), Gould (8th), Mt. Abram (9th), Edward Little (12th), Dirigo (15th), Mountain Valley (18th) and Monmouth (19th).
In the boys’ race, Cam Regan led all skiers with a first-place finish, and helped his North Yarmouth Academy teammates capture the boys’ team crown with 36 points, 14 better than Falmouth. Robert Field, Jake Susla and Evan Kendall placed 10th, 12th and 13th to round out NYA’s lead pack.
Oxford Hills jumped into third place overall Saturday, led by Jeremy Read and Jesse Newcomb in 16th and 17th positions. The Vikings were the top Class A team, edging Mt. Blue, which placed fourth in the boys’ race with 107 points, 14 back of Oxford Hills.
Cape Elizabeth rounded out the top five teams. Other area teams competing included Leavitt (8th), Mt. Abram (9th), Telstar (10th), Gould (12th), Monmouth (14th), Edward Little (16th), Dirigo (17th), Mountain Valley (19th), Winthrop (22nd) and Spruce Mountain (24th).
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