All posts by jchiavaroli

Five Seniors Recognized For Denman and Alumnae Awards

Williston’s two most prestigious senior athletic awards, the George Denman Bowl for boys and the Alumnae Bowl for girls, were awarded to five Williston seniors at the conclusion of last Friday’s athletic ceremony.  The prizes 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.

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Michael Dereus was the Offensive MVP for Varsity Football this fall, and he set school record times in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes for Boys Track this spring.

This year’s Denman Award was shared by three exceptional senior boys.   Michael Dereus was the first mentioned recipient.  He has been a terrific two-sport athlete during his two years at Williston.   During the fall, Dereus was an outstanding receiver for the Varsity Football team, averaging over 20 yards per catch, while totaling a school record of 19 touchdown receptions in the past two years.  He was named all-league both years and All-New England as a senior.   During the spring season, Mike brought his great speed and athleticism to the track and field program where he captained the team.  He was undefeated in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, breaking the school records in both events.  At the NEPSAC championships, he was named the Most Outstanding Male Competitor of the meet.  He is regarding by his coaches as a tremendous team player, whose work ethic and self-less approach made him a exceptional young man to coach. Continue reading

Williston Seniors To Compete For College Programs

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Williston’s Class of 2016 was packed with exceptional student-athletes who will be competing at all levels of college athletics during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Friday’s athletic assembly concluded by recognizing Williston’s graduating student-athletes who will compete for their respective college programs in the coming months. Below is a list of Wildcats bound for NCAA competition during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Patrick Beaton – Football & Baseball, Bates College

Delaney Belinskas – Ice Hockey, Boston College

Zachary Bernstein – Baseball, Bates College Continue reading

Athletic Awards for Spring Season 2016

On Friday, May 27th, Director of Athletics Mark Conroy held the annual spring athletic assembly to recognize the outstanding athletic achievements from this past season.  Williston’s athletic teams had a very successful spring that included setting new records, winning New England championships, and having a great deal of fun in the process.

Softball
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Softball won their first Western New England Class A Championship this spring.

Led by coaches Amber Rodgers, Molly Ward and Allison Marsland, Varsity Softball enjoyed a terrific season finishing with a record of 10-3.   After dropping their first two games, the girls got on a roll, enjoying decisive victories over Berkshire and Deerfield and a number of thrilling one run victories over Cheshire, Loomis and Stoneleigh Burnham.

For the third year in a row the girls qualified for the Western New England Class A League Tournament – this time earning a #2 seed and a match-up with #3 seeded Taft.  The girls advanced to the finals with a 1-0 victory thanks to the outstanding pitching of sophomore Jordan Strum and excellent defense.   This victory set up a championship game at Westminster against the defending champions. Continue reading

Nick Garofano ’16 Earns U.S. Lacrosse All-American Honors

Senior standout is Williston's First All-American in Boys Lacrosse
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Nick Garofano ’16 capped his historic athletic career at Williston with All-American honors in lacrosse.

Boys Lacrosse Captain Nick Garofano ’16 was honored when the New England Secondary School Lacrosse Association selected their All-American award winners. Garofano is Williston’s first boys lacrosse player to earn All-American honors.

After four highly-successful seasons for the Wildcats, the Yorktown Heights, NY, native finished his career second in goals (111), second in points (199), and as the all-time leader in assists (88).

Garofano led the team in points this spring after recording 34 goals and 19 assists in 16 games, and he was selected to the Western New England Division II All-League team. Between Garofano’s freshman and junior year, he scored a total of 77 goals and tallied 69 assists, and he was named as the League’s Offensive Player of the Year last season. Continue reading

Chris Hudson ’16 Signs for Bentley University

Hudson is the second Wildcat to sign for Bentley this year.
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Hudson ’16 signs his commitment letter to attend Bentley University next fall.

Varsity Basketball standout Chris Hudson ’16 signed a letter of intent to attend Bentley University this fall.  Hudson is the second Wildcat to sign for the Falcons this year, as teammate Sam Geschickter ’16 put pen to paper for Coach Jay Lawson’s squad earlier this winter.

Hudson played a major part in Varsity Basketball’s success over the past two seasons, which saw the Wildcats win two consecutive New England Prep School Athletic Conference Class A Championships. The Maine native captained this year’s championship team and was named to the NEPSAC Class A All-Star Second Team.

“He has had a ball in his hand for as long as I can remember,” said Robin Hudson, Chris’ mother. “He developed a passion for basketball by playing in the driveway with his older brother, Josh. They would play for hours.” Continue reading

Michael Dereus ’16 Named Most Outstanding Athlete at New England Championships

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Mike Dereus ’16 crosses the finish line during his record-setting run in the 100-meter dash at the New England Championships this weekend.

Williston senior Mike Dereus set a New England Prep School Track Association Division II record in the 100-meter dash at the New England Championships last Saturday with a time a 10.84 seconds. Dereus also won the 200-meter dash in 22.28 seconds and was named the Championship’s Most Outstanding Athlete.

“Before the race I was a nervous wreck,” the Hyde Park, Massachusetts-native admitted as the 100-meter dash approached. “I didn’t know what to expect from my competition because I had not raced against them before.”

However, Dereus was able to stay focused on his pre-race routine with help from his coaches. “I had a lot of pep talk from my coaching staff, including Mr. Rivers,” Dereus said.  Coach Rivers “just kept telling me to, ‘think like a lion,’ despite what the circumstances were.” Continue reading

Girls Varsity Tennis Wins Suffield Tournment

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Williston won three of the four flights at the Suffield Tournament. Back (L to R): Julie Lord, Toula Sierros, Danielle Grant, Haley Beecher. Front (L to R): co-captain Abbie Foster, co-captain Caroline Borden

Williston’s Girls Varsity Tennis team capped off their great season by capturing First Place at the Suffield Tennis Tournament on Saturday.

Williston’s number one, Julie Lord ’16, started the morning with a great focus and energy, beating all of her opponents 8-0 in the first three rounds of play. Lord was pushed to produce her best tennis of the day in the finals, but she was up for the task. She was crowned overall tournament champion, after she ended her Wildcat tennis career with a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 win over her opponent from the Gunnery.

Williston’s number two singles, Toula Sierros ’16, was equally dominant in her flight. Sierros won all of three of her round-robin matches by a wide margin before defeating the Gunnery’s number two singles player, 6-2, 6-1.  Sierros will remain a student-athlete in the Pioneer Valley this fall when she begins her academic and tennis career at Smith College. Continue reading

Williston Teams Compete In Post-Season Events This Weekend

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The Girls Varsity Tennis team finished the regular season with 8 wins and 3 losses. Season highlights include wins over Berkshire, Westminster, Loomis, and NMH.

The Girls Varsity Tennis team finished its highly-successful regular season with 8 wins and 3 losses after defeating Berkshire School at home on Wednesday. Six Wildcats will be traveling to Suffield Academy this Saturday to compete in the annual Suffield Tennis Tournament.

Julie Lord ’16 will be playing for the Wildcats in the number 1 Singles tournament. Lord has had an outstanding senior season, with 20 wins and just two closely-contested losses.  With her powerful game and competitive spirit, Julie he has a great chance to win the entire tournament.

Toula Sierros ’16 will represent Williston in the number 2 Singles tournament. Toula’s many weapons, including a big first serve and strong ground strokes, make her a dangerous player for her opponents. When this talented player is on her game, she is truly impressive. Continue reading

Rachel Rockwell ’16 Breaks 100-Meter Hurdles Record

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Rachel Rockwell ’16 broke a 26-year old record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.1 seconds.

Rachel Rockwell ’16 broke the 100-meter hurdles record with a time of 15.1 seconds at a track meet on May 14.  The previous record was set in 1990 by Catherine Saint Louis ’92, who was inducted into Williston’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday as a member of the 1991 Girls Cross-Country team.

“When I saw my time,” Rockwell said, “I looked at my mom right away and told her, ‘I ran a 15.1. I think I broke the school record!’

“I gave her a giant hug, and I was so happy she was here to see it on my senior day.  She drove all the way from Ohio to see the meet.”

Rockwell set her sights on breaking the 100-meter hurdles record her freshman year. “I knew with a couple of years of hard training, I could shave a second off my time,” she said. “My hurdles coach, Mrs. McCullagh, has really pushed me to become better and really focus on the little things, like helping me bring my trail leg through faster.” Continue reading

Athletic Hall of Fame 2016: Dale Lash

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Dale Lash’s favorite part of his job was the day-to-day responsibilities of developing strong character in his athletes.

Dale Lash attended Oil City High School in Pennsylvania where he was the captain of the basketball team.  He then attended Springfield College where his team won the New England Championship his senior year.  He graduated from Springfield in 1923 and received his master’s degree from New York University.

Dale Lash came to Williston Academy after 18 years of coaching at Wesleyan University, where he won ten Little Three Championships en-route to a 148-95 record. With a competing offer from Springfield College to coach basketball at his alma mater, he chose to accept the position at Williston because of his interest in mentoring and coaching young people. He was athletic director from 1942 to 1967 and also coached basketball, football, and baseball for 14 seasons from 1942 to 1956. Highlights as Williston coach were the undefeated basketball team of 1945, with outstanding player and 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, Tony Lavelli, and the undefeated football team of 1947. Continue reading