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1. Edward Little Alpine: The defending Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference champion and Class A runner-up is built to win in 2026, with its top seven scorers (Sawyer Shanaman, Nate Bigos-Lowe, Calvin Vincent, Carter Hill, Tanner Melanson, Peyton Langlois and Ryan Manson) all back this winter. In juniors Shanaman and Hill, the Red Eddies have the KVAC’s top returners in slalom and giant slalom, respectively. Fellow junior Bigos-Lowe and senior Vincent should also compete for top-five finishes at the KVAC and state meets, while juniors Manson and Melanson and sophomore Langlois provide the team with remarkable depth.

2. Mt. Blue Nordic: Can Mt. Blue make it five straight Class A Nordic titles? Although the Cougars lost some key skiers (Henri McCourt, Elias Bartlett, Eli Hoeft and Grayson Hoeft), don’t count them out. Damian Wynn is the No. 2-returning Nordic skier in the KVAC and will challenge for a podium spot at the state level. He competed with fellow junior Nick DeMarco in the Waterville Sprint Festival on Dec. 13, finishing third as a duo. Coach Ben Geissinger also expects big things out of freshmen Lucas DeMarco and William Strickland. Expect Mt. Blue to be in the mix at both the KVAC and state levels.

3. Mt. Blue Alpine: The Cougars are consistently a KVAC player, and this season should be no exception with three of the top-four skiers returning from a squad that placed second in the conference in slalom and third in GS. Junior Finn Morton will be a podium threat in both events. River Wilkie, a sophomore, is a KVAC podium contender in the slalom and will be in the top-10 mix in GS. Oak Medina is back after top-25 KVAC finishes in both slalom and GS as a freshman, and Nolan Hornsby, another sophomore, also returns.

4. Leavitt Nordic: The Hornets held their own in the KVAC championships last season, and they should be able to do so again in 2026. Senior Damon Rucci is one of the best Nordic skiers around and will be a top-five threat at both the KVAC and Class B state levels. He joined teammates Cole Chretien, a sophomore, and Jacobi Sutton, a senior, to finish fourth Bob Paradis Invitational Relay in Fort Kent on Dec. 29. Senior Serhii Bezhenar, who placed 13th in pursuit at Class B states last year, and junior Trent Sibley will also rack up major points.

5. Winthrop Nordic: Other MVC coaches are wary of Ed VanTassel’s Ramblers, who have a nice corps of skiers at their disposal. At the top of the list is junior standout Sam St. Germain, who is the No. 2 returner in the conference and will also be in the mix for a podium spot at the Class C state level. Fellow junior Gianni Haefele could challenge for a top-10 spot in the MVC; he finished 10th with St. Germain in the Waterville Sprint Festival team event. Sophomore Jackson McBride also returns for the Ramblers.

Also keep an eye on: Gray-New Gloucester Alpine