“The line between making it happen and not making it happen is so thin,” varsity Nordic head coach Keith Kogut said. “They never took it for granted. All the way up to the very end, they worked as hard as they could.”

“Saranac Lake ski teams have been phenomenal forever,” School Board Chair Mark Farmer said.

This year, the girls Nordic team won the NYSPHSAA state championship for the first time in SLCSD history. The boys were Section VII champions and placed second in the state meet.

Farmer said the student-athletes achieved the highest level of success in the state and represented the district well. He thanked the coaches, families and community who stood behind them.

Amelia Evans receives an award from Saranac Lake Board of Education Chair Mark Farmer. She was one of the Saranac Lake girls Nordic team members honored at a school board meeting on Wednesday for winning the state championship. (Enterprise photo - Aaron Marbone)

SLCSD Athletic Director Forrest Morgan said Dewey Mountain, where they train, has an “awesome positive atmosphere.” He also thanked coaches Kogut and Bridget O’Leary and Randy Young.

To read more about the competition that led to these awards, go to tinyurl.com/yybzmsum.

The girls team includes: Kelsi Burth, Tyler Burth, Amelia Evans, Kaylee Holmes, Pepper Laxson and Lila Zobel.

The boys team is made up of: Keaton Daley, Ebin Meissner, Liam Stoddard, Mason Stoddard, Emmett VanBuskirk and Ben Ziemann.

Benjamin Ziemann receives an award from Saranac Lake Board of Education Chair Mark Farmer. He was one of the Saranac Lake boys Nordic team members honored at a school board meeting on Wednesday for coming in second at the state championship. (Enterprise photo - Aaron Marbone)