Director of Athletics Mark Conroy shared highlights of the winter sports season at an all-school assembly on May 23. His comments and the specific awards are below. Way to go, Wildcats!
Riding
Two Williston students, Abby Vassallo and Angela Tsai, rode this spring at Fuller Horse Farm in Westhampton under the guidance of Laura Etzel. According to Laura, both girls demonstrated great determination and dedication in working towards achieving their individual riding and horsemanship goals.
Team Awards
MV Rider for Horsemanship: Abby Vassallo ’22
Sportsmanship Award: Angela Tsai ’22
Boys Ultimate
Under the enthusiastic guidance of Coaches Teddy Schaffer and Alex Rivenburgh, 17 boys competed this spring as part of the boys ultimate team. With a large influx of novice players, the season was characterized by lots of development and fundamentals. The team benefitted from strong leadership on and off the field from the returning upperclassmen, particularly captain Conrad Kang. Highlights of their season included avenging an early season loss to MacDuffie by winning their second match 13-5 in convincing fashion, a gutsy team performance led by 8th grader Alex Hall-Witt at the Greenfield Tournament, and a solid season-ending NEPSUL Tournament highlighted by an epic comeback against Choate in which the team rallied from being down 10-6 to win 11-10.
Team Awards
MVP: Alex Hall-Witt ’23
MIP: David Li ’21
Sportsmanship: Adam Johnsrud ’20
Captains for next year: Conrad Kang ’21, Steven Wang ’20
Girls Ultimate
Coaches Josh Seamon and Lee Greener saw 11 girls made some school history this spring by competing on our first ever girls ultimate team. The girls finished 16-6 overall, competing against public and private schools in the area. There were many highlights during their season, including hosting our inaugural Wildcat Invitational in mid-April and finishing the season by going 4-1 and placing fifth at the Amherst Invitational. With most of the girls new to the sport, the team developed a wonderful team spirit and camaraderie supporting one another throughout the season. In terms of postseason individual recognition, junior Abby Seltzer was named to the Division 2 Massachusetts state all-star team.
Team Awards
MVP: Abby Seltzer ’20
MIP: Daniella Quinteros-Parilla ’24
Sportsmanship: Anna Moran ’20
Girls Tennis
Led by Coach Karla Schaffer, the JV girls tennis team enjoyed a season of great camaraderie and improvement, highlighted by a decisive win over rival WMA.
The varsity girls team, led by Coach John Chiavaroli, played competitive, determined tennis all spring making notable improvement. Highlights included a decisive 8-1 victory over Cushing and a thrilling 4-3 win over a perennially strong squad from Kingswood Oxford. The team concluded its season at the annual eight-team Suffield Invitational held on the final Saturday of the season. In a terrific season-ending performance, the girls finished in second place. Freshman Praghya Athavan Raja concluded her outstanding season by being crowned the tournament champion at #1 singles.
Team Awards
JV
MVP: Noel Livingston ’20
MIP: Amy Ren ’22
Sportsmanship: Glede Wang ’19
Varsity
MVP: Praghya Athavan Raja ’22
MIP: Katie Han ‘19
Sportsmanship: Kate Quimby ‘19
Captains for next year: Hana Tsukamoto ’20, Sonia Whitman ‘21
Baseball
For the first time in recent memory, the baseball team fielded three teams this spring. The Thirds team, under Andrew Shelffo’s tutelage, made great strides focusing on fundamentals and team spirit. The highlight of their season was defeating Eaglebrook late in the season. The JV team, led by Coaches Ketcham and Beaton, had another strong season finishing with a record of 6-3. Highlights of their season included shut-out wins over WMA and Loomis Chaffee and a season-ending win over rival Suffield.
The varsity baseball team, led by Coaches Sawyer and Cunningham, had a competitive season playing in the Western New England Prep League. There were many highlights during the season, including sweeping rival WMA in one-run victories, the second win thanks to a Kyle Grabowski home run and game-winning RBI. The team also swept Pomfret in both games including freshman Jerry Landman’s no hitter. The team also enjoyed non-league wins over Westminster and NMH with freshmen Dallas Elliott and Will Sawyer both picking up wins on the mound. Individually, Nick Heafey had nine extra base hits, Matt Pimental led the team in RBIs, and Jonathan Toth led the team in runs scored.
Several players earned all-league recognition for their outstanding play. First Team honors went to juniors Kyle Grabowski and Nick Heafey. Second team honors went to junior Jonathan Toth and freshman Jerry Landman.
Team Awards
Thirds
Most Valuable Player: Max Kim ’22
Most Improved Player: Oscar Nguyen ’21
Sportsmanship Award: Connor Queenin ’23
JV
Most Valuable Player: James Elliott ’24
Most Improved Player: Jameson Bayuk ’22
Sportsmanship Award: Zach Walker ’22
Varsity
Walter R. Miller ’41 MVP: Kyle Grabowski ’20, Nick Heafey ’20
MIP: Mike Toth ’22
Sportsmanship: Robby Hill ’19
Next year’s captains will be Matt Pimental ’20 and Jonathan Toth ’20
Boys Lacrosse
JV Boys Lacrosse, led by the dynamic duo of Hanford and KaneLong, had a solid season with several wins, most notably an overtime thriller over rival Suffield Academy.
Under Coaches Mooney, Syfu, and Dietrich, varsity boys lacrosse enjoyed another competitive season. After a tough start with several heart-breaking losses, the team turned the corner with a decisive road win at Hopkins. The team enjoyed a three-game win streak mid-season that included a thrilling 7-6 win at Pomfret over a one-loss Griffins team, a decisive 14-7 victory over rival Suffield, and a convincing 17-5 night win on Senior Day over Canterbury. At the season-ending Colonial Tournament held at Canterbury, the boys lost a competitive rematch to the eventual champion Pomfret in the semi-finals, but finished their season on a high note with a season-ending win over Canterbury.
In terms of postseason recognition, three boys were named to the all-league team: seniors Joey Ford and Ryan Fitzpatrick and junior Kevin Talbot. Named Honorable Mention all-league were senior Gavin Girardin, junior Noah Brooks, and sophomore Brodie Fazio.
Sophomore goalie Brodie Fazio broke the single season save record with 133 and junior Kevin Talbot set new school records in both face offs (224) and ground balls (133).
The next boy I want to give special recognition to, Joey Ford, has played a significant role in the success of our lacrosse program over the last four years. This spring, he became the third player in our school’s history to reach the milestone of 100 goals in a career. He finishes his career with 117 goals, 2nd most in our school’s history. He also finishes 2nd in career assists and points.
The last boy I would like to recognize, Ryan Fitzpatrick, was recently named the Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. He also broke the school record for caused turnovers with 47.
Team Awards
JV
MVP: Reilly Gluz ’19
MIP: Max Graff ’23
Sportsmanship: Mike Beaulieu ’20
Varsity
Frank Dorsey MVP: Joey Ford ’19
MIP: Thomas Thibault ’19
Sportsmanship: Ari Koumentakos 19
Captains for next year: Noah Brooks ’20, Brodie Fazio ’21, Joe Rees ’20, Kevin Talbot ’20
Boys Golf
The JV team, led by Coaches Whipple and Garrity, had an outstanding season finishing with a record of 10-2-1 highlighted by victories over rivals NMH, Suffield, and Loomis.
Varsity boys golf under Mike Fay’s leadership enjoyed another competitive season on the links finishing with a record of 9-11. Interestingly, the team’s match average was only .5 points higher than a year ago when the 2018 squad only lost three matches – a testament to how much better the competition was this spring! Highlights of their season included defeating Loomis early on by two strokes at their home course led by captain Tyler Senecal’s 37 and a terrific win at home over Pomfret when the boys shot an average of just over a 38, highlighted by Cam Mariani’s even par round of 36 and Jake Sacratini’s 1-over-par 37. One last highlight worth noting came on the final weekend of the season in an 18 hole match against NMH when the team played terrific golf on a challenging course to defeat the Hoggers by 12 strokes.
Team Awards
JV
MVP: Tyler Varin ’21
MIP: Trevor Corsello ’20
Sportsmanship: Alex Berg ’19
Varsity
Robert C. Varnum ’60 MVP: Owen Randolph ’19
MIP: Liam Shields ’20
Sportsmanship: Tom Lawry ’19
Captain for next year: Jake Sacratini ’20
Girls Golf
Coach Liz Kay’s JV girls golf squad made steady improvement throughout the season highlighted by wins over WMA and Miss Hall’s.
Led by Coach Ann Pickrell, the 2019 varsity girls golf team compiled an 8-9 match play season record this spring. The team highlights included a first-ever win over Taft on their home course 3-2, and sweeping Westminster in both our matches. The team finished 8th overall, ahead of Exeter and Portsmouth Abbey, at the season-ending NEPSAC Championship Tournament held at Wyantenuck Country Club. The team’s most significant accomplishment was lowering their scoring average for the season by an amazing 13 and a half shots from last season.
Team Awards
JV
MVP: Irina Malladi ’20
MIP: Dora Gordon ’19
Sportsmanship: Erin Daley ’19
Varsity
MVP: Mariel Sutinen ’20
Most Improved: Nikki Foster ’20
Sportsmanship: Annika Johnson ’19
Captains for next year: Nikki Foster ’20, Mariel Sutinen ’20
Softball
Led by Coaches Erin Davey, Janine Whipple, and Allison Marsland, varsity softball enjoyed another terrific season finishing with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses. There were many highlights during the season including wins over rivals Deerfield, Loomis, and NMH. The team posted 3 shutouts, thanks to dominant pitching and terrific team defense. In the KO shutout, three different girls hit home runs clearing the fence. The biggest win of the season took place during the season’s last week when the girls defeated its biggest rival, Suffield Academy, 4-3 in a terrific team effort. One more game worth noting was the Stoneleigh Burnham game in which pitchers Jersey Strum and Sydni Landman combined for a very rare perfect game.
For their outstanding play during the season, junior Jersey Strum and freshman Sophia Jones were both named league all-stars.
Team Awards
MVP: Jersey Strum ’20
MIP: Jules Constantinople ’22
Sportsmanship: Tayah Sommer ’19
Captains for next year: Jersey Strum ’20, Brynn Saarela ’20
Track and Field
Under the leadership of head coach Chris Pelliccia and fellow coaches Martha McCullagh, Jane Lucia, Matt Porter, Jacob Rivers, and Ashley Jenkins, both the boys and girls track and field teams enjoyed very successful seasons. The girls team had a terrific spring, finishing their dual meet season with a record of 14-3. Over the past three years, the girls team is a combined 43-7. Impressive! Highlights included exciting wins over WMA, Westminster, KO and Hopkins. At the NEPSAC championships, hosted here at Williston, last Saturday, the girls finished in ninth place out of the 14 teams competing. Individually, the following girls earned points on the day:
- Claire Harrison placed sixth in the 100 high hurdles
- Sophomore Anaya Akpalu placed fourth in the pole vault
- Sophomore Chloe Prouty placed fourth in the 300 low hurdles
- The 4 x 400 team of Sahnet Ramirez, Claire Harrison, Abigail Tuohey, and Chloe Prouty finished fourth.
One girl had a very strong day:
- Junior Gates McPherson finished sixth in the high jump and with a throw of 100’4” inches in the discus throw, she became a NEPSAC champion by taking first place.
The boys’ team had a tremendous season finishing with a record of 15-1 with its only loss at Berkshire in the first meet of the season. Over the past four years, the boys are a combined 54-8. Very impressive! Highlights of their dual meet season included wins against Class A powers Avon and NMH and decisive wins over KO, Westminster, and St. Paul’s. At the NEPSAC championship, the boys had a solid final meet finishing in sixth place out of 13 schools. Earning team points on the day were:
- Malik McNeil who took sixth in the Discus.
- The 4 x 400 relay team of Oscar DeFrancis, Connor Tuohey, Henri Bourque, and JiHee Liu came in fifth place.
- Insoo Kang who took fifth in the triple jump.
- Christian Anzeveno who took fifth in the shot put.
- Abood Abuissa who took third in the 110 meter high hurdles.
We did have one relay team and one individual that had particularly great days winning NEPSAC championships.
The 4 x 100 relay team of Cole Drugotch, Insoo Kang, Henri Bourque and Gabe Liu ran a 43.55. This was the second fastest 4 x 100 every run in school history.
Finally, junior Gabe Liu had a truly outstanding day. Besides anchoring the winning 4 x 100 team, he also won both the 100 and 200 meter races. Additionally, he tied the school record in the 100 set by Mike Dereus ’15 three years ago with a time of 10.84.
Team Awards
Girls
MVP: Gates McPherson ’19 (second year in a row)
MIP: Anaya Akpalu ’21
Sportsmanship: Magnolia Armstrong ’19
Boys
Frank Putnam MVP: Gabe Liu ‘20
MIP: Insoo Kang ‘19
Sportsmanship: Abood Abuissa ‘19
Next year’s captains will be Oscar DeFrancis ’20, Gabe Liu ’20
Girls Lacrosse
Girls Lacrosse at Williston had another terrific season. The JV team, led by Coaches Garrity and Sawyer, demonstrated great team spirit and improvement throughout the season highlighted by victories over NMH and Miss Porter’s.
Led by Coaches Lonergan and Briedis, the varsity girls lacrosse team had another excellent season finishing with an 11-3 record. While there were many great wins during the season, there were several victories that stood out, including decisive wins over Choate, Berkshire, and Westminster. The team’s excellent season was rewarded with a #2 seed in the Western New England Class B tournament. The girls won decisive victories over Worcester and Berkshire to gain a berth in the tournament championship. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, they came up short 10-5 to a determined team from Canterbury.
Team Awards
JV
MVP: Izzy Epstein ’23
MIP: Adamma Eze ’21
Sportsmanship: Stella Piasecki ’19
Varsity
MVP: Christina Vote ’21
MIP: Emma Merrill ’22
- Kate Risley ’93 Sportsmanship Award: Rachel Burke ’19, Maura Holden ’19
- Davis Award for overall contribution: Campbell Nyarady ’19
Next year’s captains will be Maddy Cardaci ’20, Christina Vote ’21
Boys Tennis
Coach Ken Choo’s JV tennis squad enjoyed a season of notable improvement highlighted by wins over Rectory, Westminster and Bement.
This was another special season for Coach Tyree’s varsity tennis team, as we enjoyed our finest season in many years finishing the regular season at 8-3. The team was anchored by captains Kenny Wang and Ethan Dursht. Joining them in the top five were sophomore Nikhil Sierros, senior Joey Robbins, and junior Luke Po. Both Joey and Kenny won nine singles matches while Ethan won 8 and Luke 7. Team highlights included soundly defeating rivals Suffield, Westminster and Berkshire. Arguably, the biggest highlight of the season was defeating Loomis Chaffee 6-1 for the first time in 15 years. The team’s excellent season earned them their second consecutive NEPSAC tournament berth. Unfortunately, the boys lost a very competitive match to ISL power Middlesex at Choate.
Team Awards
JV
MVP: Vasu Jain ’22
MIP: Rich Stefanik ’22
Sportsmanship: Pun Phentrakul ’21
Varsity
L. Hepworth MVP Award: Kenny Wang ’20
MIP: Luke Po ’21
Sportsmanship: Nikhil Sierros ’21
Next year’s captains will be: Kenny Wang ’20, Nikhil Sierros ’21
Girls Water Polo
To say it was another wonderful season for girls’ water polo would be an understatement! Building on last year’s special season, the girls set a new school record for wins in a season finishing at 15-2. For the third year in a row, the girls qualified for the NEPSAC Liquid Four championship tournament. There were many highlights during the season including sweeping matches with Loomis, Choate, Suffield and Andover. Arguably, the most exciting wins of the season were one-goal thrillers over Deerfield and twice over Exeter. Our excellent regular season resulted in the team earning the #2 seed and the opportunity to play Exeter once again, this time at Exeter where the NEPSAC tournament took place. Amazingly, the girls defeated Exeter for the third time this season – incredibly by one goal again–9-8! This gave the team their first-ever berth in a NEPSAC championship game and a chance to take on four-time defending champion Greenwich Academy, who had beaten them by one goal at the beginning of the season. The girls quickly fell behind 7-1 but demonstrating tremendous heart and resilience rallied from behind to tie the score at 8 apiece. Unfortunately, Greenwich made the key plays in the game’s final minutes to win 12-9.
Three girls were named to the All NEPSAC water polo team–the most of any team in NEPSAC. Senior Abbie Coscia, junior Dylan Fulcher-Melendy, and freshman Ella Mattocks. These three girls were also named to the all-tournament team the final weekend.
To say that senior Abbie Coscia had a tremendous career at Williston would be an understatement. All told, she now holds career records in steals with 173, goals with 319 and points with 386. Not to be outdone, junior Dylan Fulcher-Melendy had another terrific season in goal breaking her own school record for assists in a season with 34. To add to her school records, Dylan now holds career records for saves, assists and steals.
Team Awards
MVP: Abbie Coscia ’19, Dylan Fulcher-Melendy ’20
MIP: Erin Chai ’21
Sportsmanship: Sabrina Shao ’19
Next year’s captains: Dylan Fulcher-Melendy ’20, Louisa Weed ’20
Students at Williston are encouraged to participate and get engaged in all aspects of student life here. Many of our graduating seniors have made an exceptional commitment to participating in our competitive athletic program. To honor this distinguished level of participation, the Athletic Department presents a senior award, the Blanket Award, to recognize exceptional participation. For students who have been at Williston for more than one year, they are eligible for the award if they missed only one season not including their senior year. The following 28 seniors won this award, the most since 2012.
(2) One year students: Nancy Harrington, Sophie Prouty
(5) Two year student: Claudia Capone, Ethan Dursht, Emma Gentile, Artur Lysuk, Gates MacPherson
(3) Three year student: Magnolia Armstrong, Chelsea Clark, Reilly Gluz
(18) students who have been here at least four years: Rachel Burke, Abigail Coscia, Caroline DiFiore, Ryan Dwyer, Dora Gordon, Maura Holden, Kate Holmes, Ari Koumantakos, Tom Lawry, Campbell Nyarady, Vishnu Sekar, Sabrina Shao, Molly Solan, Tayah Sommer, Sarah Sullivan, Emily Warren, Emily Whipple, Michael Zhang
It is our privilege this morning to award our two most prestigious senior athletic awards. The George Denman Bowl for boys and the Alumnae Bowl for girls are awarded to seniors whose contribution to the athletic program have been characterized by exceptional achievement, faithful participation, and loyal devotion to the best interests of the school. The award is determined by a vote of our program’s head coaches.
This year’s Denman recipient has made a terrific impact on our community and athletic program during his three years at Williston. During the winter season, he was a two time captain and invaluable contributor to three varsity basketball teams that won a combined 49 games including making it to the NEPSAC championship game as a senior. His positive energy and leadership were a huge part of the team’s success. During the spring, he was a two-time captain of the track and field team. As testament to his athleticism and determination, he went from novice to NEPSAC champion in two short years in the high hurdles. Beyond these outstanding accomplishments, he is widely considered by his coaches to be a tireless worker, a selfless teammate and a humble and gracious competitor. It gives us great pleasure to award the 2019 Denman Award to Abood Abuissa.
The 2019 Alumnae Award will be shared by two girls this year. Ironically these two four-year students share a fair amount in common including the fact that they were teammates for 12 seasons and each managed to win a remarkable 12 varsity letters during their careers here.
The first recipient has been a strong contributor to our athletic program since the day she stepped foot on campus four years ago. During her senior year, she was a rare three-sport captain. In the fall, she had an exceptional career in our varsity girls’ field hockey program culminated by being named team MVP and All NEPSAC as a senior. During the winter, she was instrumental in helping our hockey team reach four consecutive NEPSAC tournament appearances. As team captain, her leadership was critical to the tremendous success of our program. In the spring, she was a team captain and key contributor on four very successful varsity girls’ lacrosse teams that went 53-7 during her career. Beyond her significant contribution to our program, she is widely considered by all of her coaches as one of the finest leaders they have every worked with, a terrific competitor, and wonderful representative of our school. It gives us great pleasure to award this 2019 Alumnae Award to Maura Holden.
The second recipient had an equally impressive four years here at Williston. She was a four-year member of varsity field hockey playing a key role in leading the team to three NEPSAC postseason appearances. Her senior year, she was a team captain and named both team MVP and All NEPSAC. During the winter, her contribution to our varsity hockey program was significant–team MVP, All NEPSAC, and the fifth girl in our school’s history to eclipse the 100 point milestone. All told, our teams made four tournament appearances and won 77 games during her four years in the program. In the spring, she also earned four letters as a member of one of the most successful runs in girls’ lacrosse in our school’s history. When her coaches describe her contribution to their teams, they always highlight her tremendous work ethic, her tireless performances and her exceptional competitiveness. It gives us great pleasure to award this 2019 Alumnae Award to Kate Holmes.
Photos by Dennis Crommett