ALPINE
Porter Beaule, Waynflete sophomore: By less than a second of aggregate time, Beaule was runner-up in both slalom and giant slalom in Class A to help the Falmouth/Waynflete co-op team place second to Freeport. He was the fifth Shootout qualifier and placed 55th in giant slalom at the Eastern High School Championships.
Jett Lindelof, Islesboro senior: Lindelof, who trains with Camden Hills, won the Class A giant slalom at Saddleback and placed sixth in slalom. He also qualified for Maine’s Eastern High School Championships Alpine team and placed 49th in giant slalom.
Killian Marsh, Yarmouth senior: Marsh was second in giant slalom and third in slalom to lead the Clippers to the Western Maine Conference championship. He was third among Maine skiers at the Eastern High School Championship meet, 19th overall from a field of 131.[/caption]
Landon Marquis, Camden Hills senior: Marquis won the Class A slalom over a field of 98. In giant slalom, he had the fastest second run but was forced to hike after missing a gate on his first run and finished 37th. The KVAC slalom and giant slalom champion, he was 19th in giant slalom at the Eastern High School Championships.
Logan Schwartz, Cape Elizabeth junior: A two-time Varsity Maine All-State selection, Schwartz swept Class B slalom and giant slalom state titles. His slalom runs each beat a field of 68 by a full second or more and his giant slalom runs were fastest by more than two seconds. He was the top qualifier and the top finisher from Maine for the Eastern High School Championships, placing second overall.
NORDIC
Tait Harvey, Greely freshman: Harvey was runner-up in both classical and pursuit at the Class A state meet. He also placed sixth in freestyle to help the Rangers earn runner-up honors, their highest team finish since 2004. Earlier, Harvey won the Western Maine Conference classical title and finished second overall in pursuit.
Henri McCourt, Mt. Blue sophomore: McCourt swept the classical, freestyle and pursuit titles in Class A. His combined time (30:36.3) was the fastest of any skier, regardless of class. He also was the top qualifier for Maine’s U16 selection race and represented New England at Junior Nationals in Alaska.
Logan Ouellette, Leavitt senior: For the second year in a row, Ouellette won the Class B pursuit state title. He also repeated as classical champion, and his 5K freestyle time of 14:28.6 was faster than any skier, regardless of class. He placed 18th overall (of 109) at the Eastern High School Championship meet in Vermont.
Alden Reardon, Fort Kent freshman: Reardon swept classical, freestyle and pursuit state titles in Class C at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center. He led Fort Kent to a dominant Nordic team victory and qualified second for Maine’s U16 team. He’s also a biathlete who will represent the United States at a meet in Norway in April.
Teo Steverlynck-Horne, Freeport junior: Steverlynck-Horne was runner-up in classical, freestyle and pursuit in Class B. His performance helped the Falcons edge Yarmouth to win the Nordic state title. He was one of three skiers of all classes whose combined time broke 32 minutes. He placed 61st overall at the Eastern High School Championships.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Neal Sleeper, Caribou Alpine: In his eighth year as head coach, Sleeper led the Vikings to the program’s first Alpine state title in 49 years. Caribou, which finished 10th in Class B last winter, built up a significant lead in slalom and held on against defending champion Cape Elizabeth, Fort Kent, Yarmouth and Maranacook. Those schools had won the previous 10 state titles. Sleeper varied training between a hill in Caribou and larger venues in Fort Kent and Mars Hill. He also credited volunteer assistant Travis Prashaw. “We’ve had some great talent over the years,” Sleeper said. “This year we had depth. That was the key. It was a true team effort.”
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