Bryn Saarela ’20- Varsity Field Hockey
Bryn has had a fantastic season for the Wildcats thus far. Playing right wing, she regularly provides the much-needed spark her team needs to get moving offensively. With great speed and an attacking instinct, she was critical in the team’s success this week. On Wednesday, in a must win situation against a strong Taft squad, she scored the game winning goal to lead her team to a 3-2 victory. Her fantastic play continued Saturday as the team faced Pomfret. She was directly responsible for both of the teams’ goals, as she racked up two assists on the day, helping the team earn a 2-0 win on the road. Bryn has been a big part of the team’s success and the Wildcats will continue to look towards her for her tough and courageous play for the remainder of the season.
Finlay MacDonald ’20- Boys Varsity Cross Country
Finlay has been a strong competitor for the Wildcats all season long. He comes to practice every day ready to give his best, and his positive attitude is contagious. He ran the whole race at Taft on a very difficult course virtually by himself, with opposing runners thirty meters in front and behind until the final push at the end of the race. He was mentally tough and disciplined throughout the race. Finlay has been a consistent point scorer for the Wildcats and therefore has been a big part of the team’s success this season. Finlay has been a valuable member of the varsity cross country team and the squad will continue to count on him for his top 7 finishes.
Poojaa Prakash Babu ’21- Girls Varsity Cross Country
Pooja had a strong race on Saturday against Taft, helping the varsity team win the race 21-38. Poojaa has placed in the top seven for Williston in all six races this year. On Saturday, she was pressured for 3 miles by Taft’s number 3 runner and held her off to take 8th place overall. After facing early week adversity, the team was uncertain about Poojaa’s ability to compete on Saturday. She rose above her difficulties and had her best race of the season, with a new 5K personal record of 22:28, on a very difficult course. Poojaa continues to bring maximum effort and energy to every practice and every race and has been a great teammate all season long.
Jack Haddad ’22- Boys Varsity Water Polo
Jack has been a great addition to the boys varsity water polo team this season. In his first year he has made tremendous progress in the pool, proof that hard work pays dividends. His fantastic play shined through on Wednesday against Deerfield. Jack contributed tenacious defense, playing the entire game contributing 4 key steals. On Saturday against a tough Hopkins opponent, Jack displayed his offensive instincts as he scored 2 goals and added 2 assists. Jack is consistently one of the hardest workers in and out of the pool and his positive attitude and team first mentality provide an excellent example for the rest of the team.
Selena Negron ‘22-Girls Varsity Soccer
Selena has been a big part of the girls’ varsity soccer teams success all season. As the team’s keeper, she has made it incredibly hard for opposing teams to score. In the teams two games last week against Pomfret and Taft, she racked up an unimaginable 30 saves! She has shown incredible confidence in net and has kept the Wildcats competitive in games. Not only does she lead by example due to her strong play on the field, but she also consistently gives 110% effort in every practice. Her work ethic has clearly paid off for her this season. The team will continue to rely on Selena down the final stretch of the season.
Cal Messina ’20- Varsity Football
Cal has been a huge part of the Wildcats success this season. This Saturday against Loomis, he had another strong game on both sides of the ball. Offensively he led the team in receiving yards and also converted a screen pass into a 67 yard score! Defensively he led the team with 12 tackles. If that wasn’t enough, Cal secured the victory for the Wildcats as he had the game winning fumble recovery in the last minute of the game. Cal continues to be a leader in all that he does both on and off the field and the Wildcats will continue to lean on him for the remainder of the season.
Eric Albanese ’20- Boys JV Water Polo
Eric had a fantastic week of play for the Wildcats. On Wednesday he was the difference maker in a thrilling 8-7 win over Deerfield, thwarting their final possessions of the game with 4 consecutive steals! In his first year playing water polo Eric has made significant strides in learning the game. His ability in the water has made his transition to the sport of water polo an easy one. However, his ability would not be the same if it wasn’t for his tremendous work ethic. He has worked extremely hard to master the skills needed to play the game and his hard work has paid off. Eric leads by example everyday through his happy-go-lucky attitude and his determination to perfect the craft of water polo.
Sofia Michalski ‘22– JV Field Hockey
Sofia has had a great season for the Wildcats. A leader by example, Sofia anchors the offensive line at center forward for the JV field hockey team. She comes focused and works hard every day in practice, inspiring her teammates to match her energy. Sofia used her strong stick skills and speed to record two goals this season, including one in the team’s recent victory over Pomfret. The Wildcats look forward to more excellent play from Sofia in the last weeks of this season.
Alex Hall-Witt ‘23- Boys Junior Soccer
Alex’s presence has been clear for the boys’ junior soccer team this second half of the season. After facing some early season adversity which sidelined him for a few weeks, he has made a big impact on the team upon his return. On Wednesday, Alex scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Wildcats beat Eaglebrook 5-2. He has been a steady and hard-working player, both in games and in practice. He is very competitive, and he is always striving to do his best to help the team win proving his “team first” mentality.
Shoko Ishikawa ‘22- Girls JV Soccer
Shoko has been enthusiastic and excited about soccer since she stepped on the field at the beginning of the season. Her hustle and energy has been vital to the Wildcats success. She is consistently able to move the ball down the field quickly or chase down an attacker to win the ball back. This season, Shoko has been very deliberate in implementing new moves and changes in direction to improve her dribbling skills. She has been a great cheerleader for the team proving her strong “team first” mentality. Shoko is a great teammate and competitor and the Wildcats look forward to watching her grow for the remainder of the season.
Richard Stefanik ‘21-Boys JVB Soccer
Since the beginning of the year, Richard has shown steady improvement playing for the boys JV B soccer. He has worked hard to become a very solid forward with great technique and because of this he has created many great scoring opportunities for the Wildcats. His great play continued this week. On Wednesday he managed to net a hat trick, leading the Wildcats to a 4- 2 win against Cheshire. Not only was he the leading scorer in that game, but his exceptional day made him the leading scorer for the team with 6 goals on the season. Richard has had a positive attitude all season and, because of this, he has provided a great example for his team.
Sabrina Serricchio ’20- Girls JV Cross Country
Sabrina had her best race of the year on Saturday against Taft, recording her best 5K time by almost two minutes (24:22). After missing some time from training and from races due to adversity she came back this week ready to give her all. On Saturday she was at her best on a very tough course, with two challenging hills. Sabrina placed in the top ten for Williston for the first time this season, and she placed third for Williston in the JV scoring, helping the Wildcats beat Taft, 17-43.
Calvin Klump ’24- Boys JV Cross Country
Calvin has had a great season for the boys JV cross country team so far. He is new to cross county this fall and has been improving each week, a testament to his work ethic. Calvin ran a strong race at Taft this Saturday as he worked hard up the hills and really pushed over the last half mile. His training made him not only fit, but confident and it showed in his finish. Calvin is competitive and eager to keep moving up each week and, because of this mentality, he provides a great example for the rest of his teammates on the squad. The team looks forward to seeing his progress for the remaining two weeks of the season.