The Connecticut Interscholastic Ski League State Open Championships was an opportunity for the Greenwich High School boys and girls teams to end the season in style on the slopes.

And as the impressive results indicate, they certainly did.

Greenwich’s boys team placed fifth in the team standings out of 13 squads at the CISL State Open at Mount Southington and placed second overall among the teams in Class L during the regular season. The Cardinals’ girls team also posted a fifth-place finish at Monday’s ultra-competitive State Open competition at Connecticut’s Mount Southington.

“I think all of the boys have been looking forward to this day whether they knew it or not,” said Thomas Ybarra, who produced the top times for Greenwich’s boys team at the State Open. “Last year was definitely a pivotal moment for us going into this season, and for all of the returning skiers, myself included, we just knew the work we had to put in over the season in order for us to get to where we are now.”

Greenwich placed fifth in the State Open team standings, registering a team time of 282.32 seconds. Fairfield Prep won the State Open championship with a time of 269.13 points. Greenwich-based Brunswick School placed second, totaling a highly impressive team time of 270.67, while Wilton (274) was third and Weston (274) took fourth.

Ybarra recorded the Cardinals’ best finish, placing 11th with a time of 44.56 seconds over his two runs at the State Open. He finished his first run in 23.35 seconds and his second run in 21.31 seconds.

Brice Muller from Fairfield Prep was the boys’ race’s overall winner, clocking in at 42.6 seconds (22.30, 20.30). Brunswick’s Patch Leonard finished second with a time of 42.68 (22.35, 20.33), followed by Noah Richert (independent skier, 43.1). Cameron Shipman of Brunswick was sixth in 44.27 (23.32, 20.95).

“We got off to a relatively rocky start, just above the states line, but we were able to turn it into something special for all of us,” Ybarra said of the Cardinals’ season.

Behind his standout performances, Ybarra received CISL First Team All-State accolades for the season. Nicholas Aravides had Greenwich’s next best finish at the State Open at Mount Southington, posting a time of 45.55 (23.74, 21.81). Aravides, who earned CISL Honorable Mention All-State recognition, finished 21st overall.

“I’m proud of the improvement that our team has shown in one year and second place is our best finish in a while,” said Aravides, referring to the Cards’ second-place finish among Class L teams during the regular season.

Owen Benison had the Cardinals’ third best finish at the State Open (47.1, 24.62, 22.48), while teammate Ryan Park finished the State Open race with a time of 47.22 (24.38 first run, 22.84 second run).

Also sparking Greenwich’s solid showing at the State Open were Steven Hartofilis (48.04), Massimo Risi (49.85), Nicolas Sosa (50.26), Kiko Ivanov (51.11) and Asher Sisca.

On the girls skiing scene at the State Open, Greenwich posted a combined team time of 301.28 seconds. Ridgefield captured the State Open team championship (284.64), along with Fairfield (284.64), followed by Staples (289.69). Mariam Fahimi raced to the Cards’ top finish, placing fifth overall in the State Open competition with a time of 45.66 (20.98 first run, 24.68 second run). Bridget Waters, representing Daniel Hand was the State Open’s girls champion (44.04, 21.27, 22.77). Teammate Lily Vest (44.12) was the runner-up.

Fahimi was presented with CISL Honorable Mention All-State honors.

“Last night was such a great night for Greenwich with many of my friends achieving personal records,” Fahimi said. “Not only this, but the girl’s team as a whole was able to bring back a trophy which truly symbolizes all the hard work everyone put in this season.”

Shea Norris, a senior, produced Greenwich’s next best time, clocking in at 48.29 over her two runs (23.57, 24.72).

“Competing against the top schools in the state came with heavy pressure to ski my best, and that pressure helped not only me, but the rest of the team ski our best,” Norris noted. “All the hard work that the team has put in over the season paid off yesterday with our fifth-place finish at states.”

Junior Maggie Ybarra registered a time of 50.3 seconds for GHS (24.49, 25.54, 50.03), while teammates Addie Marder clocked in at 51.7 (25.01, 26.69) and Kate McCooe finished with a time of (25.73, 26.67, 52.4).

Josie Campos (53.2), Caroline Dolan (55.68) and Ava Lorenzon (56.91) also ignited the Cardinals in their final competition together this winter.

“Finishing my high school racing career with a top 30 finish at the State Open was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to hear about the team’s future successes,” Norris said.

Norris reflected on the seasons she spent on the slopes with her GHS teammates.

“Through spending my past four winters with the GHS Ski Team I’ve grown as both an athlete and a person,” Norris said. “Coming onto the team as someone with no ski racing experience, I learned how to adapt to new challenges that were not present in my previous experiences in freestyle skiing. Watching the team grow over the years and being a captain for two of those years has been an amazing experience. While I’m sad that my time with the team is over, I’m very grateful to have experienced it, and I can say with confidence that the team is going to continue on with many more successful seasons.”

Said Fahimi: “While it’s bittersweet that the season is ending, I have such good memories and friendships which I know won’t go away.”