Times Union Alpine and Nordic skiing all-stars

ALPINE

GIRLS

Athlete of the Year: Avery Waters, Sr., Saratoga Springs

In Avery Waters’ first year skiing for Saratoga, as a senior, she won all but one race during the regular season, became Section II champion and led the Blue Streaks to a second-place finish at sectionals.

In a normal year, Waters would have spent the winter in Lake Placid at the Olympic Training Center, as she had during past winters, before returning to Saratoga in the spring for lacrosse season. She would have spent her days training on the mountain and her afternoons doing her schoolwork remotely.

This was anything but a normal year. Skiing was classified as a low-risk sport and allowed to proceed over the winter despite the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was no state championship meet. One of the few similarities is that Waters was still doing much of her school remotely.

And instead of going to Lake Placid, Waters stayed in Saratoga.

Instead of the intense, regimented schedule at the training center that Waters described as “eat, sleep, ski,” she got to experience the sport in a different way.

“It was more of a fun and light atmosphere. There wasn’t as much pressure that I would put on myself if I were up there (at Lake Placid),” Waters said.

Pressure or not, Waters took the section by storm. Her top finishes included one by 0.37 seconds over Queensbury’s Meredith Montgomery in giant slalom and a 0.8 second lead over Taconic Hills’ Clare Felton in slalom at the Stillwater Ladies’ Invitational. Waters capped off her impressive season with first place in slalom and giant slalom at sectionals.

“She’s a very strong kid, athletic-wise and mentally also,” said Saratoga coach Megan Beck of Waters.

“She’s such a team player, too, even in an individual sport,” Beck said. Waters would report back to teammates on how different courses were and what they had to look out for.

Next for Waters is Division I lacrosse at Butler University.

“It was a very hard decision for me,” she said. “Both lacrosse and skiing were my two loves and I was able to do them both for so long.” In the end, her enthusiasm for Butler won.

She still plans to ski for fun, but “I think I’ve retired from the Alpine ski racing world.”

First team

Meredith Montgomery, So., Queensbury: After making last year’s second team, Montgomery had a strong season where she consistently finished in the top five, including taking second place overall at sectionals. She skied to second place in slalom, 1.4 seconds behind Waters, and third in giant slalom.

Claire Felton, Sr., Ballston Spa: The third-place individual finisher at sectionals led Ballston Spa to another first-place team finish at sectionals and a 5-1 record in the regular season. Felton finished in the top 10 every race this season, including a second-place finish in giant slalom and a fourth-place finish in slalom at sectionals.

Clare Howard, Sr., Taconic Hills: One of just two skiers to compete for the Section II championship for the Titans, Howard came in fourth overall behind third-place slalom and fifth-place giant slalom performances. She also came in second and third at the Stillwater Invitational in slalom and giant slalom, respectively.

Avery Waters, Sr., Saratoga Springs: Instead of heading to the Olympic Training Center at Lake Placid, Waters decided to ski for Saratoga and focus on fun over rigor, but still was dominant in the section.

Second team

Emily Fleming, Sr., Johnstown

Sara Phelps, Sr., Ballston Spa

Micaela Leonard, Jr., Shenendehowa

Mallory Czimbal, So., Ballston Spa

Coach of the Year

Jeff Krempa, Johnstown: In the past few years, Krempa has made the Johnstown girls regular contenders, and sent them to a second straight fifth-place finish at sectionals, including a fourth-place finish in slalom this season.

BOYS

Athlete of the Year: Matthew Moeckel, Jr., Saratoga Springs

When Matthew Moeckel is in the starting gate for a race, he said, he tries to hype himself up for the course ahead.

Although a lot of times it’s nerve-wracking, he narrows his focus to the race.

“From (the movie) ‘Cars,’ when Lighting McQueen would always say ‘I am speed,’ that’s kind of what I feel about it,” Moeckel said.

Moeckel was this year’s Section II overall champion, taking first in both giant slalom and slalom and leading the Blue Streaks to another team championship to cap a strong junior campaign.

After a sophomore season that saw him win the slalom title at sectionals, then coming in 11th in giant slalom and slalom at states, Moeckel spent the offseason lifting weights and bulking up in the weight room even when the season was in doubt.

“I kind of saw it two ways. Either I’m preparing myself for a ski season or I’m just getting in shape,” he said. He wasn’t particularly disheartened at the possibility that there wouldn’t be a season because he knew he’d benefit either way.

“Matt really came alive this year,” Saratoga coach Megan Beck said. She credited his offseason work with his success this season.

“The bigger you are, you tend to go a little faster, and he was a lot stronger too,” she said.

Although Moeckel is one of the quieter team members, Beck said, he is still a positive presence on the team.

“He’s quiet, but he connects with all the kids,” she said.

For his part, “I don’t want to say that I’m a leader, but I guess I am,” Moeckel said. “I just really try and help my teammates as much as possible.”

He still has a year left, and the plan is to “just go out there and keep winning.”

First team

Evan Phelps, Sr., Ballston Spa: Last year, Phelps did not finish the sectional slalom course. This year, he finished second overall at the meet, including a second-place time in giant slalom, less than a second behind Moeckel. Phelps also finished fourth in slalom to cap a solid season for the Scotties.

Braden Kruk, Jr., Shenendehowa: Makes the jump from last year’s second team behind a strong third-place performance at sectionals. He finished third in both slalom and giant slalom and was one of the top skiers for the Plainsmen.

Nathan Rodriguez, Jr., Saratoga Springs: After not finishing last year’s giant slalom course at sectionals and coming in fourth in slalom, Rodriguez’s fifth-place giant slalom performance staked him to fourth place overall. He finished seventh in giant slalom.

Matthew Moeckel, Jr., Saratoga Springs: Bulking up in the offseason helped Moeckel speed down the slope and quicken his turns, and he took overall first at sectionals.

Second team

Jeff Long, Jr., Schuylerville

Tyler Munter, Sr., Saratoga Springs

Ethan Huff, Sr., Ballston Spa

Neil Howard III, Fr., Taconic Hills

Coach of the Year

Steve Jackson, Queensbury: After graduating 2020 Athlete of the Year Hunter Montgomery, Jackson still put his team in a position to take fourth place in slalom at sectionals behind up-and-coming talent.

NORDIC

GIRLS

Athlete of the Year: Madison Relyea, Sr., Mayfield

In the fond words of one of her teammates, Madison Relyea was not a “womb skier” born with natural talent. But she’s dominated the Section II Nordic scene for years, won a state championship and ended her high school career by winning every race she was in. Relyea finished it off with a first-place finish at sectionals.

That she has had such consistent success is a testament not only to her hard work and willingness to train, said Mayfield coach Ryan Bornt, but also a mysterious trait Relyea possesses.

“I’m not sure what quality causes it, but she never has really bad days or good days. Every race, no matter how she feels physically or emotionally, she just puts the gas down and goes hard,” he said.

Like every other athlete, Relyea trained through the offseason uncertain if she would have a season at all, but she kept at it.

“This year, I knew it was my last year and I wanted to enjoy it as much as I can and get as fit as possible,” she said.

Although she tried to enjoy the season, she missed the chance to compete in the state meet and at Junior Nationals.

“It was more difficult because the ending feel of the state championship and then going into Junior Nationals, it kind of keeps you going through the small races throughout the season,” she said.

In addition to the state championship, which she won last season, Relyea is a three-time Section II champion and finished 53rd in the 2019 Junior Nationals competition held in Alaska.

Her success has helped open her teammates’ eyes to the opportunities available in Nordic beyond the normal league competition, Bornt said.

“I think that was great for the culture around her that she was able to blaze that path,” he said.

Relyea’s next step is running cross country for the University of Connecticut.

First team

Katrin Schreiner, Jr., Hadley-Luzerne: Schreiner was breathing down Relyea’s neck the whole season, consistently finishing second, often by less than a minute. She couldn’t top Relyea at sectionals, where Schreiner came in second, but finished more than a minute before Delaney LaFountaine in third.

Fianna Halloran, So., Mayfield: Earned a third straight first-team spot after coming in fourth at sectionals, just more than a minute behind teammate Delaney LaFontaine. Fourth place was her most frequent slot this season.

Delaney LaFontaine, Sr., Mayfield: Improved from last year’s fifth-place finish at sectionals to come in third. She consistently recorded top-five performances throughout the season as part of a strong Mayfield squad.

Madison Relyea, Sr., Mayfield: Like the Chicago Bulls, Relyea has mastered the “three-peat”: Athlete of the Year and Section II champion. She continued to dominate this season, winning every race she skied.

Second team

Iris Wiedmann, So., Shenendehowa

Avery Bayse, Jr., Johnsburg

Julia Keshmira, Jr., Queensbury

Lorraina Guay, Jr. Queensbury

Coach of the Year

Andrew Cleney, Shenendehowa: Last season, only Iris Wiedmann competed for the Plainsmen at sectionals. Cleney turned the team around and helped it regularly place in the top three, including a third-place finish at sectionals.

BOYS

Athlete of the Year: Lucas Jenkin, Sr., Queensbury

Having an offseason in which he couldn’t train with his team didn’t slow Lucas Jenkin down at all. He won every Section II race, including his third-straight sectional championship, to end his high school career on a high note.

“I think with Lucas there’s really no secret other than the fact that he just skis an awful lot,” Queensbury coach Paul Allison said.

Jenkin had been skiing most of his life even before he joined the Spartans. In his freshman campaign, he finished sixth in sectionals and 22nd in states. From there, he flew up the ranks, finishing first in sectionals every year since and coming in eighth (2019) and fourth (2020) at the state championships. The 2021 state meet was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite his strong base, Jenkin worked hard in high school to develop his skills.

“Watching him as a freshman, he already had quite a bit of ski experience, but like most freshmen coming in he was smaller, still had a lot of growing to do,” Allison said.

In the early years, Jenkin worked on building his strength and stamina, then fine-tuned his technique as he got older.

In this offseason, unable to do his normal training because of the pandemic, Jenkin focused on cardio and strength workouts. “Having fun with it instead of just making it a chore” helped keep him motivated, he said.

“With Lucas, another thing is that he’s a great teammate. He’s very loyal to the team, he’s always there, reliable,” Allison said.

Although Jenkin is on the quiet side, Allison said, he leads by example and is fun to be around.

Jenkin said he sees his role on the team as being a positive influence who helps his teammates learn the ropes and stick with the sport. He injects some fun into long workouts to break up the monotony.

“There’s a few jumps back there (on the Mayfield course), so sometimes we’ll have fun jumping and doing tricks,” he said.

Jenkin isn’t sure where he’s going to college yet, but he wants skiing to be part of his future, whether that’s on a varsity or club team.

“He’s been a great figure to have around for the team and I will miss him,” Allison said.

First team

Ben Jenkin, Fr., Queensbury: Regularly finished in the top three throughout the season and had two second-place performances, including one at sectionals, just 1 minute, 23 seconds behind older brother Lucas.

Sam Rowley, Sr., Queensbury: Moves to the first team from last year’s second team after spending the season as a top-four regular, including a fourth-place finish at sectionals, in his last season for the dominant Spartans.

Philip Matthews, Jr., Shenendehowa: Matthews improved to be a consistent top skier this year, moving from 11th place at last year’s sectionals to third place this year, less than a minute behind Ben Jenkin.

Lucas Jenkin, Sr., Queensbury: Three-time sectional champion was undefeated this season even after an irregular offseason and a training schedule altered due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Second team

Liam Rodewald, Sr., Queensbury

Braydon Jourden, Jr., Mayfield

Clayton Schmale, Sr., Johnsburg

Brice Williams, So., Mayfield

Coach of the Year

Steve Besler, Saratoga Springs: Improved the Blue Streaks from sixth place at sectionals last year to a second-place tie this year to cap a competitive season that saw them constantly breathing down Queensbury’s neck in most races.