Mount Greylock Boys, Girls Win State Titles
But as she saw her teammates follow close behind, she - and they - knew the stars truly were aligned.
Smith’s first-place finish at Thursday’s MIAA Nordic Ski Championships anchored the Mounties to the school’s first girls team championship since 2012 and kicked off a day that later saw the Mount Greylock boys win their sixth straight state title.
After it was all over, Smith clutched the team trophy and talked about what meant to be able to celebrate with her teammates.
“It’s so special,” she said after the award ceremony at the Leo G. Martin Memorial Golf Course. “We’ve been working so hard this season as a team, and I think everyone just had a great race.
“I know all the seniors have been looking forward to this for so long, so we’re so excited. It feels good.”
Smith covered the 7-kilometer course in 19 minutes, 2.9 seconds, edging Acton-Boxboro's Chantal Raguin (19:05.5). Margo Smith (eighth), Sophie Gerry (ninth) and Brandi Gill (17th) rounded out the scoring for the Mounties.
On the boys side, the individual winner was Newton South’s Will Rhatigan in 16:06.8. Mount Greylock’s Ian Culnane was third in 16:43.6, and Matthew Wiseman was fourth (17:04.3). Evan Arthur (14th) and Ric Donati (20th) rounded out the scoring for the Mounties.
Culnane said the girls, who skied first, provided a little inspiration for the Mount Greylock boys.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I think Grace Smith winning the race was unbelievable. I can’t remember the last time a Greylock skier actually won.
“I think the girls put on a good show and something for us to aspire to.”
Mount Greylock girls coach Hilary Greene was grinning from ear to ear even before it was confirmed that her girls had done enough to hang another banner in Williamstown.
“I’m just so thrilled because we have a couple of seniors and for me to walk over after the race and they’re all smiling — not knowing anything, just knowing they were happy with how they skied and they felt good and they had fun — there’s nothing better than to see that on their faces.
“And, of course, if they feel good about their races, then we know they skied well.”
The Mounties were not the only ones who skied well in a state meet that this week moved from the familiar Notchview Reservation touring center to the Boston suburbs.
The Lenox boys finished fourth in the state, and Wahconah placed ninth in an 18-team field.
The Millionaires were paced by Miles Marshall, who placed 15th in 18:25.0. Wahconah was led by Sam Harvey, who finished 13th in 18:13. for Hoosac Valley, Jared Haley placed 17th in 18:31.6. Taconic was led by Noah Shepardson (21:03.2), who placed in the top half of the field in 58th place.
Lenox’s girls placed seventh in the team standings behind 18th and 24th finishes by Alice Huth and Emma Jourdain. Wahconah's Lily Howes placed 36th, Hoosac Valley's Jamie Barthe was 40th, and Taconic's Jamie McMahon was 82nd to lead their respective teams.
At the front of the pack in the girls race, things set up just the way Grace Smith hoped.
“i went into it knowing I was going to try to draft off of the top girls, and, if I felt strong enough, break away from them,” she said. “And that kind of held true today.”
Her coach, who zipped around the course to keep an eye on her racers, could see that everything was working out for Smith.
“We had talked a lot about strategy, and we knew one of the girls in that group is very fast and has repeatedly been the strongest skier,” Greene said. “On this flatter, windier course, we knew if Grace could stay with her, she’d have a chance.
“Coming up this little hill over here, I could see on Grace’s face. It wasn’t like, ‘I’ve got this.’ It was more like, ‘I know if I’ve made it this far, I can make it to the end.’ You could just tell.”
Girls Team Scores
1. Mount Greylock 34 points; 2. Concord-Carlisle 48; 3. Wellsley 66; 4. Acton-Boxboro 90; 5. Lincoln-Sudbury 116; 6. Mohawk Tral 139; 7. Lenox 158; 8. Wayland 171; 9. Brookline 172; 10. Westford Academy 180; 11. Wahconah 204; 12. Amherst 217; 13. Newtown North 257; 14. Hoosac Valley 258; 15. Winchester 324; 16; Dover-Sherborn 324; 17; Nashoba 331; 18. Taconic 426.
Boys Team Scores
1. Mount Greylock 39; 2. Amherst 52; 3. Concord-Carlisle 80; 4. Lenox 97; 5. Acton-Boxboro 101; 6. Lincoln-Sudbury 132; 7. Dover-Sherborn 132; 8. Westford 157; 9. Wahconah 174; 10. Wellesley 192; 11. Newton North 224; 12. Wayland 236; 13. Newton South 255; 14. Hoosac Valley 290; 15. Mohawk Trail 332; 16. Winchester 348; 17. Taconic 374; 18. Nashoba 428.