Ely’s Nordic Wolves not only placed third in the state, but they had a couple of skiers who were recognized individually at the state level.
Based on their performance at the state meet, junior Aksel Skustad and sophomore Wyatt Devine were both named to the all-state team, as picked by the state’s coaches association.
Skustad, a repeat honoree, placed 15th individually at the state meet while Devine gained all-state acclaim by taking 19th overall and coming in as the highest-finishing sophomore in all of Minnesota.
The state meet performances capped brilliant seasons, an effort that started months ago.
“It was the culmination of a lot of hard work,” said Ely Head Coach Todd Hohenstein. “I would say that they both understand the concept that with skiing you make the most gains in June, July and August, when you can commit yourself to training and build the volume you need to become an endurance athlete to compete at a high state level.”
Both Skustad and Devine powered the Wolves the entire 2025-26 campaign, through a winter that included impressive regular season performances and a section runner-up showing at the Section 7 meet.
Skustad took second in the section, behind teammate Oliver Hohenstein, and at the state meet he was 15th overall with a combined time of 28:45.43.
“I would say Aksel was solid all year long,” said Todd Hohenstein. “He was really either our top skier or second in a majority of the meets. He really performed well and maintained that standard throughout the season. He had a great state meet and was able to compete with high caliber talent from all over the state and really put together two solid races.”
Devine, meanwhile, took fourth in the section and served notice at state that he’s a sophomore to contend with.”
“Wyatt always challenged himself to be one of the best sophomore skiers in the state,” said Todd Hohenstein. “And he did that this year as I think he was the top 10th grade boy which is fantastic. Just the way he operates, he is best when he sets lofty goals and he works tirelessly to achieve those. And again at the state meet, he probably had his best two races. He peaked at the right time.”
