Westwood Ski Teams Wrap Up Season, Finish Fourth

The Westwood High School boys' and girls' ski teams just wrapped up the 2011 season with both finishing in fourth place in their division.

The boys finished up with 917 total points, which was close behind second- and third-place Milton and Duxbury, who had 980.5 and 961.5, respectively. The girls team, meawhile, finished with 691 points, right behind Milton and Duxbury at 915 and 758.5 points, respectively.

Dover-Sherborn won each division by a landslide with the boys pulling in 2209.5 points, and the girls takign 2338.5.

As for individual achievements, Captain Shane Troy and Nicholas Antonellis qualified for the State Tournament this year. Both ranked in the top 25, with Troy placing 14th and Antonellis at 22nd. Myles McDonough finished 31st.

Captain Alexandra McLaughlin finished 23rd, and her sister Caroline McLaughlin finished 28th. Head Coach Alison Gallagher, who coaches both the boys and girls teams, noted that the girls had prior racing experience, and were top performers throughout the season. Alyson Grealish finished in 39th place.

Westwood is part of the Mass Bay Ski League. Gallagher, 28, lives in Waltham with her husband and dog. She graduated from Westwood High School in 2000 and currently works as a chemist in Lexington.

Skiing is something that has been a part of her life since she was 8 years old when, her parents taught her the sport. It came naturally to her, and she loved it from the beginning.

“I joined the Westwood Ski Team as a freshman and was surprised at how much I enjoyed racing,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher practiced at Gunstock Mountain in New Hampshire on weekends and with the team during the week. The practice paid off; she went to the State Finals each year, and was co-captain during her junior and senior seasons. This year was her first year coaching the team.

The team practices at Ski Ward and race at Ski Ward and Blue Hills. State Finals were held at Berkshire East. While some racers have prior racing experience, Gallagher said that the team has skiers of all levels.

“We have students that are still working on parallel skiing, and others that train with a race coach on the weekends,” said Gallagher. “We have varsity and junior varsity races, so that we’re able to incorporate all levels of students that are interested in racing.”

For more information and a complete list of standings, visit www.mbsle.org.

Team Accolades:

• Team MVP: Shane Troy
• Unsung Hero: Alexandra McLaughlin
• Sportsmanship Awards: Myles McDonough and Zoe Radner