The Upper Valley high school skiing scene saw a lot of runners-up last winter.
Hanover High’s alpine skiing team and ski jumping team are included in that mix, taking second behind NHIAA power Kennett at the state meets. The Marauders ski jumping team is down one of its best jumpers at states last year and will try to keep pace with Sabin and Sophie Mitchell on the girls side and Mason Winter on the boys side. Sunapee High’s alpine skiing team also finished second in the NHIAA Division IV state meet behind Profile, led by the now-graduated skimeister winner Maddie Austin. Ellie Frederick could help pick up the slack for the Lakers. Woodstock High’s snowboarding team also settled for second at states.
The region’s other skiing programs are looking to move up. Lebanon’s alpine and cross country skiing teams put squads in the top five, Sunapee nordic and ski jumping finished in the top five in the D-IV state meet and Woodstock alpine took fourth at states. The Wasps’ have grown exponentially since last season, up to close to 45 skiers on the squad. Woodstock coach Fred Dieffenbach hopes the numbers are a sign of renewed interest in the sport and can help his team gain the depth it needs to push up in the standings come February.
HANOVER
Alpine
Coach: Gabie Formankova (13).
Last Year: Girls placed second behind Kennett at the D-II state meet, led by Elaine Taylor with a win in the giant slalom and a third-place finish in the slalom. Boys placed ninth at NHIAA Division II state meet, led by Jordan Gottlieb in the slalom (21st, 1:20.85) and giant slalom (26th, 1:12.28).
Boys Roster: Seniors — Caleb Benjamin, Jett Elin, Kyle Rozzi. Juniors — Eric Goodney, Jordan Gottlieb, Rioghan O’Toole. Sophomores — Pierce Hamlin, Dylan Kotlowitz, Teddy Ruth, Ellison Stannard, Owen Stannard, Ben Wagner. Freshmen — Wesley Stocken, Zane Schiffman, Sebastian Sangha.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Elaine Taylor, Kaylei Cardona. Juniors — Isla Cotter, Riley Craft, Maya Holmes, Emily LeBlanc, Arabella Meacham-Snyder, Sabin Mitchell, Sophie Mitchell, Katherine Naughton, Nora Paydarfar, Maisy Pekala, Tessa Stewart. Sophomores — Casey McGuire, Kira Smith, Zoe Starkey, Jasmine Tracy. Freshmen — Olivia Trummel, Ingrid Pekala, Bella Norma, Lila Naughton, Alisa Halchenko.
Analysis: Hanover has retooled and returned two of its top skiers from last season. Elaine Taylor returns for her senior season one year after tearing it up at states — a first place finish in the giant slalom and a third-place finish in the slalom for the runner-up Hanover girls, who finished 35.5 points behind champion Kennett in the team standings. Jordan Gottlieb led the way for the Marauder boys, finishing in 21st in the slalom and 26th in the GS at states.
Ski Jumping
Coach: Tom Dodds (3).
Last Year: Finished second behind repeat champion Kennett at the NHIAA ski jumping championship meet. Teddy Ruth finished second overall for the Marauders. Sabin Mitchell won the girls event.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Mason Winter, Matt Allbozek. Juniors — Tristan Meyer, Tage Colberg, Greg Phillips, Felix Estes, Caleb Morse. Freshman — Evan Nichols.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Dina Hertog-Raz, Amelia McNamara. Juniors — Sophie Mitchell, Sabin Mitchell, Maya Holmes. Freshmen — Maddy Zuckerman, Kiana Allan.
Analysis: Hanover’s ski jumping team was 6.5 points away from a state title last winter, falling once again to repeat-champion Kennett. Sabin Mitchell returns for her junior season after winning the girls event at states last year by a single point, edging Kennett’s Elizabeth Koroski. Mason Winter, Tristan Meyer and Sophie Mitchell also return for the Marauders and are off to strong starts.
LEBANON
Alpine
Coach: Mike Anikis (18).
Last Year: Boys fifth at NHIAA Division II state meet. Logan French paced the Raiders with a pair of top-20 finishes (17th in giant slalom in 1:08.04, 18th in slalom at 1:19.71). Girls placed 10th.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Graham Ten Haken, John Moorhead. Juniors — Eric Gessner. Sophomores — John Mooney. Freshmen — John Mansfield.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Baylee Chase, Grace Godfrey. Juniors — Artemisia Delgado, Jessica Hastings. Sophomores — Emily Galeva, Olivia Jameson, Ayla Pearson. Freshmen — Stella Rose, Mie Poulsen, Ellie Mooney, Deliah Hart, Cassidy Adams.
Analysis: Graham Ten Haken and John Moorhead return after helping the Raiders place fifth at states; Ten Haken was 31st in the slalom and 47th in the giant slalom, Moorehead was 28th in the slalom. Jessie Hastings was the top skier for the 10th-place Lebanon girls, finishing in 21st in the slalom and 24th in the GS, and returns for her junior season.
Nordic
Coach: Les Lawrence (40).
Last Year: Boys placed third, girls took fourth at NHIAA Division II state meet. Jacob Willeman finished second (10:27.5) in freestyle and sixth (12:14.6) in classic to lead the boys.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Jack Smyrski, Nathan Gile. Juniors — Cooper Bourne, Nathan Magari, Tyler Sullivan. Sophomores — Tyler St. Martin, Aiden Kelley. Freshmen — Micah Achmoody, Siman Amaro, John Bieszczad, Dylan Budner, Seth Carl, Samuel Ellingson, Ethan Eshbaugh, Benjamin Katz, Sam Shipman.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Ashlyn Taber, Hannah Falcone. Juniors — Celia Barnett, Quinn Beek, Taylor Boardman, Allison Carl, Gaby Garcia, Maria Goodwin, Audrey Perotti, Irina Stan, Madeline Wolfe. Sophomores — Ayla Weale, Madison Test, Grace Perotti, Avery Kantor, Ana Goodwin, Mary Gile. Freshmen — Sofia Amaro, Maya Barnett, Rylee Beek, Zoe Chinn, Brianna DeBanico, Anna Illsley, Isabella McClellan, Samantha Peterson, Ava Reed, Paige Susco, Sydney Zagarola.
Analysis: Lebanon’s boys lost two of its top finishers from a year ago — Owen Johnstone and Jacob Willeman — to graduation. Cooper Bourne and Nate Magari are the boys top returners; Boure finised 18th in the classic, Magari took 15th in the freestyle. Ana Goodwin and Celia Barnett return after leading the girls team to a fourth place finish at states.
NEWPORT
Alpine
Coach: Jim McMahon (4).
Last Year: Boys placed 10th at states.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Adin Almstrum, Justin Armstrong, Hunter Bahara, Isaiah Stephens. Juniors — Josh Almstrum. Sophomores — Rory Callum, Garret Harold. Freshmen — Hayden Palmer.
Analysis: Isaiah Stephens returns for his senior season after leading the Tigers to a 10th place finish at the NHIAA Division IV state meet, finishing 21st (1:27.86) in the giant slalom and 25th (1:41.66) in the slalom. But fourth year head coach Jim McMahon is encouraged by a renewed interest in the sport. “We still have athletes signing up and, with some training, they will be ready to represent Newport next year,” he said. “Looking forward to a great season this year and many to follow.”
OXBOW
Snowboarding
Coach: Josh Allen (2).
Last Year: Did not qualify at states.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Cody Grant, Jackson Schramm. Freshmen — Alex Giguere, Quincy Beaudin.
Analysis: The duo of Cody Grant and Jackson Schramm made headway last season; Schramm finished the winter ranked eighth in the giant slalom and 11th in the slalom. The O’s started back up their program last winter for the first time since it disbanded its alpine and cross country team in the 1990s and is still looking for traction in both participation and state-wide competitive levels.
SUNAPEE
Alpine
Coach: Jack Iacopino (23).
Last Year: Girls were runner-up behind state champ Profile at the NHIAA Division IV state meet. Maddie Austin won the giant slalom. took second in the slalom and won the D-IV skimeister. Boys were sixth at states.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Jake Austin, Ryan Fleury. Juniors — Riley Balch, Michael Mullen, Jake Sarnevitz, Cam Summerton. Sophomores — Jackson Cooney, Kaeden Hughlock, Parker Reed, Will Sencabaugh. Freshmen — Landon Boucher, Owen Crate, Rupert Dalton, Jake Galloway, Bret Salvitti, Jackson Scheele.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Robyn Salvitti. Juniors — Silvia Dalton, Ellie Frederick, Eve Robida. Sophomores — Kathryn Hastings. Freshmen — Natalie Austin, Saylor Garland, Lyla Holobowicz.
Analysis: Losing Maddie Austin, last year’s giant slalom winner at states and the reigning D-IV skimeister champion, to graduation leaves quite the hole to fill for Sunapee’s alpine skiing team. Helping fill that void is Ellie Frederick, seventh in the GS at states a year ago and off to a hot start in her junior season with the squad. Silvia Dalton also returns after placing in the top 10 in the GS. For the boys, Riley Balch returns after leading the Lakers with an 11th place finish in the GS and a 16th place finish in the slalom at states.
Ski Jumping
Coach: Jon Reed (3).
Last Year: Lakers placed fourth, led by sophomore Cameron Summerton who tied for eighth at the NHIAA ski jumping championship meet.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Lane Smith. Juniors — Cameron Sumerton. Sophomore — Parker Reed, Josh Heino, Michael Shottes.
Girls Roster: Juniors — Sylvia Dalton. Sophomore — Emma Tuohy.
Analysis: Summerton returns for his junior season with the Lakers after a strong finish at last year’s NHIAA ski jumping championships. But Sunapee head coach Jon Reed is excited about the supporting cast including Lane Smith and Parker Reed, senior veterans. “Newcomers to the team are a cast of strong, athletic kids who are looking to broaden their horizons with the original extreme sport.”
THETFORD
Alpine
Coaches: Amy Huyffer and Paul Dixon (4).
Last Year: Boys placed 12th at the VPA state meet, led by a 28th place finish (1:45.78) by Dylan Kotlowitz.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Taitem Linehan, Hugh O’Donnell. Juniors — Jason Wolstenholme. Sophomores — Alex Holzer, Jack Hastings, Riley Burkins. Freshman — Ben Acker.
Girls Roster: Juniors — Elle Dixon.
Analysis: Coaches Huyffer and Dixon are encouraged after Thetford’s boys qualified for the VPA alpine state championship meet last winter, an eventual 12th place finish led by Dylan Kotlowitz. The Panthers now expect a similar finish one year later with a group of six returning skiers with experience. “We lost several skiers to transfers, but are hopeful that our concentrated training at Storrs Hill in Lebanon will put us in contention for a state berth again. Look to senior and captain, Tait Linehan, for strong results, especially in tricky conditions where his grit and true athleticism are called into play.”
Elle Dixon also has her eyes on qualifying for states after narrowly missing a berth last year.
WHITE RIVER VALLEY
Nordic
Coach: Carol Post (5).
Last Year: First-year program.
Boys Roster: Sophomore — Jack Simack, Wyatt Slater. Freshmen — Cameron Smith.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Eliza Mabey, Paige Bellentine. Juniors — Nicole Smith. Sophomores — Yelena Merriam.
Analysis: Eliza Mabey and Paige Bellentine return after placing 41st and 54th, respectively, in the girls 5K freestyle at the VPA Division II state cross country championship meet at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, competing for now-closed South Royalton High. The Royals did not place as a team at states and its boys did not compete at states last year.
WOODSTOCK
Alpine
Coach: Fred Dieffenbach (4).
Last Year: Boys finished fourth in giant slalom and fourth in slalom at VPA state meet. Peter Borden finished fourth (1:50.50) in the GS. Girls took fifth in the slalom and eighth in the giant slalom, led by Kelly Gebhardt (8th, 1:33.09) in the slalom and Chloe Noble (17th, 2:06.54) in the GS.
Boys Roster: Seniors — Peter Borden, Oliver Wilson. Juniors Jack Rasmussen, Riley Quicker, Clay Lynch, Carl Gebhardt, Stephen Bianchi. Sophomores — Aaron Wilson, Nickolas Newsome, Aiden McDermott, Orion Beardsley, Noah Anderson. Freshmen — Otto Nisimblat, Max Hambsch, William Duane.
Girls Roster: Seniors — Lily Walker Money, Gina Sorrentino, Chloe Noble, Katey McMaster, Morgan Biele. Juniors — Alice Sperber, Magnolia Rice, Maggie Parker, Zoe Napier, Lily Holding, Abigail Duane, Juliana Beraldi. Sophomores — Anna Steele, Sarah Sprague, Lea Sperber, Lili Sorrentino, Lauren Shands, Chloe McKaig, Kelly Gebhardt, Taylor Crompton. Freshmen — Keira Zayas, Hannah Reed, Hannah O’Neill, Abigail Masillo, Hannah Lockhart, Lilly Kowalczyk, Hayley DeCoff, Lily Butler, Taylor Blodorn.
Analysis: Woodstock will try to move on without some of its top competitors from a year ago; Grace Vollers, Kyle Weirether, Elliot Shoemaker and Alex Frenchman have all graduated. Despite the losses, fourth year head coach Fred Dieffenbach expects a particularly strong girls team this winter. “The alpine team has grown exponentially. Over the last few years we’ve hovered around 30-35 racers but this year we appear to have 45-plus. … I view the growth of the team as a positive, though there is no doubt that it will create logistical challenges.”
WOODSVILLE
Alpine
Coach: Josh Steenburgh (4).
Last Year: Boys placed ninth, girls took 10th at NHIAA Division IV state meet. Girls were led by Else Bielarski in 36th place in both giant slalom (1:26.15) and slalom (1:40.21).
Boys Roster: Seniors — Zach Moore, Jim Kertis, Webb Kertis, Donnie Bowman, Erich Saffo, Ethan Dessaint.
Girls Roster: Sophomore — Keatyn Horne, Cecelia Steenburgh.
Analysis: Woodsville’s boys return Donnie Bowman, Jim Kertis and Ethan Dessaint, all of whom placed at states last winter; Bowman finished 32nd overall with a combined time of 1:48.12 to lead the Engineers. Now-graduated Else Bielarski led the girls squad with a 36th place finish. Keatyn Horne and Cecelia Steenburgh, the returning Woodsville girls, both placed at states a year ago.