After two years excelling on the football field and in the classroom, Chris Oswitt ’26 has been honored for that dual commitment by winning the Dr. Frank Boyden Award from the Western Mass. Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

Oswitt was feted for the award during a NFF banquet in Longmeadow on April 12, 2026. Named for longtime Deerfield Academy Head of School, the award has been presented to student-athletes since 1962 and is given for outstanding achievement on the field and in the classroom by a preparatory school player. In addition to Oswitt’s award, former Athletic Director and football coach Mark Conroy was also presented with the Henry A. Butova Memorial award.

“It was an awesome night,” Oswitt said. “Coach Beaton told me a few weeks ago that I had won the award and explained what it meant. I did some research on my own and saw the list of people who had gotten it before me, and it was an inspiring list of names.”

Oswitt, who will play for Princeton University next year, is the latest in a long line of Williston football players to win the award. The last Wildcat honored was James Elliott ’24, a current wide receiver for Dartmouth College.

On the field, Oswitt has been a dominant offensive lineman for Williston the past two seasons, playing a key role in the team’s back-to-back league championship seasons.

“Ever since I stepped on campus two years ago, you could just tell the level that everyone’s at here and the competitiveness and atmosphere,” Oswitt said. “Being surrounded by such a hard-working group of guys every day makes you hold yourself to a higher standard.”

In the classroom, Oswitt has maintained an excellent academic record, including taking three AP courses this year. He is also a proctor in Ford Hall. “There have been plenty of classes here that allow me to really be a student at the highest level,” Oswitt said. “I’d taken some AP classes before I came here, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue on that path. The breadth of classes has been amazing.”

Tom Beaton, the Head Coach for Williston, was full of praise for Oswitt and his impact. “Chris is someone that does everything right,” Beaton said. “He works as hard as he can in all that he does. He has a 99 average in the classroom and was a two-time All-Conference player and a captain this past year. I don’t think I go a week or two on campus without somebody complimenting the character of Chris.”

Butova Award

Oswitt was not the only Wildcat given a trophy at the ceremony. Conroy, who worked at Williston for 24 years before retiring in 2024, was presented with the Henry A. Butova Memorial Award. The award is given annually to outstanding contributors in football. Per the organization, the award “recognizes former high school or college football players who have distinguished themselves in their post-athletic careers through leadership, community service, or professional achievements, reflecting Butova’s own legacy in coaching and athletics administration.” Before his coaching career started, Conroy was a standout football player at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Matt Sawyer, English teacher and assistant football coach for both Conroy and Beaton, made the presentation for Conroy’s award.

“Mark is great. I actually started my intro speech of Chris thanking by Mark as I wouldn’t be here without him,” said Beaton, who was hired by Conroy to take over the program. “He was the one who hired me and I’m so grateful for that. He’s another one that just does everything to the best of his ability, always with the utmost character.”