Jamie Gass didn’t just excel in cross-country and track during his time at Williston—he accelerated past most of his competition. A varsity athlete in both sports during his sophomore, junior, and senior years, Gass looked at distance running not as a chore, but as an enjoyable endeavor. As a harrier, he won everything there was to win as a junior—the Shaler Invitational, all dual meets and invitationals, and a Division II New England championship. As a senior, he was named captain and team MVP, and finished second at both New Englands and at the Shaler Invitational, before going on to win a New England Junior Olympics medal. On the track, Gass didn’t slow down. When he graduated, he held the school’s track records in the 800, the 1,500, the 3,000 and the 4×400 relay team—setting the record for the latter three in the same day at the New England championships. His record in the 3,000, set in 1987, still stands today. Gass went unbeaten in dual meets in his three individual events in both his junior and senior years. He won D-II New England championships in the 1,500 and 3,000 his senior year—becoming the first Williston male athlete to accomplish that feat—and was co-captain and MVP of the team that year as well. Gass capped off his career by winning the Denman Award, given to the top male athlete in the senior class.
