ALPINE
Brooke Boone, Yarmouth junior: A two-time Varsity Maine All-State selection, Boone won the Western Maine Conference slalom championship and was runner-up in giant slalom. She finished fifth in slalom and 12th overall at the Eastern High School Championships, third among Maine skiers.
Jaden Boulanger, Mountain Valley junior: Boulanger won the Class B slalom title and was runner-up in giant slalom. She also won the MVC giant slalom title. At the Eastern High School Championships, she was 28th overall (fourth among Maine skiers), with a 35th in slalom and 42nd in giant slalom.
Lily Boulanger, Mountain Valley freshman: Boulanger won the Class B giant slalom title and was runner-up to her sister in slalom. She also won the MVC slalom title. At the Eastern championships at Cannon Mountain, she ranked 37th overall, placing 39th in slalom (fifth among Mainers) and 54th in giant slalom.
Taylor Gordon, Mt. Blue senior: The top qualifier at the Maine Shootout, Gordon won the Class A giant slalom title and was runner-up in slalom. She also swept KVAC slalom and giant slalom titles. At the Eastern championships, she was sixth overall, best of all Maine skiers, having placed seventh in slalom and ninth in giant slalom.
Hadley Prewitt, Marshwood junior: A two-time Varsity Maine All State selection, Prewitt won the Class A slalom title and was runner-up in giant slalom. She also won the SMAA giant slalom title and placed seventh overall (second among Maine skiers) at the Eastern championships, taking eighth in slalom and 15th in giant slalom.
NORDIC
Kayley Bell, Caribou senior: For a second straight year, Bell swept the Class B classical, freestyle and pursuit state titles. Her freestyle time for the 5-kilometer course in Fort Kent was fastest in the state, regardless of class. She placed 13th overall at the Eastern High School Championships in Vermont, second among Maine skiers. She plans to continue skiing at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
Annabelle Brooks, Cheverus senior: A two-time Varsity Maine All-State selection, Brooks swept the Class A classical, freestyle and pursuit titles. Her two-race combined time was the fastest from any class. She was the top Maine finisher, and 10th overall, at the Eastern championships. She plans to continue skiing at Harvard.
Nora McCourt, Mt. Blue sophomore: McCourt finished third in Class A pursuit and posted the second-fastest freestyle time to help the Cougars win a third straight team championship. She also won the KVAC freestyle and pursuit titles and placed 25th overall, fourth among Mainers, at the Eastern championships.
Bridget Reusch, Mt. Blue senior: Reusch was runner-up in Class A pursuit, having placed second in classical and third in freestyle, to help Mt. Blue win a third straight Nordic team state title. She also won the KVAC classical crown and placed 32nd overall, sixth among Mainers, at the Eastern championships.
Ruth White, Orono junior: For the second year in a row, White swept the classical, freestyle and pursuit titles in Class C. She also won the Eastern High School Championship classical race in Vermont and wound up 34th in overall standings, seventh among Maine skiers.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jess Marion, Freeport Nordic: In two of the closest state meets of the winter, Freeport won the Class B boys’ title by three points and the Class B girls’ title by seven. Although Freeport and Brunswick have trained together during the four years that Marion has been coaching – she teaches biology Brunswick High – this was her first winter in charge of Freeport’s skiers. She credited assistants Yacob Olins and Pat Coughlin in helping to juggle communication and coordination of 29 skiers in the combined program. “I feel like the energy of the team was especially positive,” she said. “They were super helpful to each other.”
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