Girls’ Nordic Skiing: Gray-NG’s Woods knew how to win

Kaelyn Woods had a decision to make after winning Class B girls’ skimeister her freshman year: keeping competing in both Nordic and Alpine disciplines, or choose one and try to master it.

Woods chose to focus on Nordic skiing, and three years later it has proven to be a good choice. Three Class B individual Nordic state titles later, Woods finishes her career at Gray-New Gloucester High School as one of the best cross-country skiers in recent memory.

The Patriot senior swept both the Class B Nordic skate and classical titles, doing so for the third straight year. She won this year’s state championship races by a combined 70 seconds.

“I was really excited with the way (my career) ended,” Woods said. “I never would have thought that, but it’s pretty awesome to say that I was a six-time state champion.”

Woods said she didn’t expect to win the Nordic state title as a sophomore after putting all her focus in the discipline, but low and behold she did, giving her instant justification in her decision.

After proving that she made the right decision, Woods then wanted to prove she could do it again as a junior. She did.

Another championship season seemed inevitable as a senior, but Gray-NG coach Jeff McEvoy said the competition started to close in on Woods.

So she pulled farther away.

“It pushes you to go faster when you are being the one to be caught,” Woods said.

“It was never just assumed that Kaelyn was going to win, although I think some of the girls might have thought that,” McEvoy said. “But I don’t think Kaelyn did. She always had to work for it, and she put on her best race whenever she was out there.”

Woods’ season didn’t end with the state championships. She qualified for the Junior Nationals, and performed well there, finishing fourth in the under-20 classical 5K race and 10th in the U-20 distance race.

“It was kind of the perfect cherry on top for my high school career,” Woods said.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com