This past Wednesday, Williston’s ski teams traveled north to Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH to co-host the NEPSAC Class B Ski Championships with New Hampton School.  On a beautiful day for skiing, both the boys and girls ski teams enjoyed outstanding days.  As a team, the girls finished in 6th place out of the 14 schools competing.  Top performers included Jen Carellas 7th place finish in the Giant Slalom and Maddie Dirats 7th place finish

in the Slalom.  Both races included over 60 competitors.  The boys had a particularly outstanding day as they finished in 3rd place out of the 14 schools competing.  This was our highest team finish in several years.  With their top three finish the boys team returned to Williston with a team award to recognize their achievement.  A number of boys enjoyed terrific performances led by freshman Devin DeVerry’s 5th in the Giant Slalom and 6th in the Slalom.   Also worthy of mention were JJ Celentano and Jesse Cassuto’s performances in the Slalom with 7th and 15th place finishes respectively.  Junior veteran Anthony Aquadro also had an 18th place finish in the Giant Slalom.  Overall, it was a great day for our ski teams.  Congratulations Wildcats!!!

Sarah Marion ‘17

Sarah has been a very versatile player this season for the girls varsity basketball team. Sarah’s outside shooting ability has enhanced the offense and she is quickly becoming a valuable scoring threat for the Wildcats. Sarah played very well in the team’s overtime game against Pomfret on Saturday hitting some crucial threes pointers at pivotal times.

Sam Atkins ‘15

Sam has been an inspiration to the wrestling team all year.  His leadership, positive attitude, intensity and drive has turned him into a great role model for the younger wrestlers.  On Saturday Sam wrestled six matches in winning five of them and placing third in his weight classincluding a win over the second seed in a grueling double overtime match that truly proved his fortitude and will to win.

Jess Wendelken ‘16

Stepping into the point guard position on Saturday Jess had a phenomenal game for the girls jv basketball team. She scored 13 points and had 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds in the team’s convincing win over Pomfret.

Natalia Baum ’15 scored her 1000th career point today in Williston’s girls’ varsity basketball game against Loomis Chaffee School. Baum, who entered the game needing eight points to reach 1000, scored the basket on a lay-up midway through the first half. She becomes the eighth player in school history to break the 1000 point mark.

Williston’s 1000 Point Scorers

Mark Timm ’76

Debbie Healy ’91

Abby Ouimet ’99

Colleen Hession ’02

Darrell Harrison ’05

Karly Gray ’06

Kristina Conroy ’10

Natalia Baum ’15

Mat Sulda ‘14

Mat’s hard work and perseverance paid off last week as he played exceptionally well for the Wildcats. Mat scored 21 points in the boys’ varsity basketball team’s win over Canterbury on Wednesday.  On Friday evening, Mat scored 26 points in an exciting win over Deerfield Academy. Mat finished the weekend by scoring 17 points and played exceptional defense in the team’s game against MacDuffie.

Jen Carellas ‘15

Jen is one of the top skiers in the Mt. Institute Ski League that Williston competes in. On Wednesday she finished in fifth place of the 32 skiers who competed. She is currently fifth overall in the league and is just ten points out of first. Jen is a determined skier and helps lead the team both on and off the slopes.

Quinn Griffin ‘15

Quinn has enjoyed a very successful season for the boys jv hockey team. He has led the team by example both on and off the ice and is respected by both his teammates and coaches. On Saturday Quinn scored a three goal hat trick to help lead the team to a 6-3 win over the Springfield Rifles.

Natalie Aquadro ‘17

Natalie won all four individual events she swam for the girls varsity swim team last week against Loomis and Kent.  She was also a member of 3 winning relay teams, anchoring two of them to victory in the final event of the meets.  All four of her times were season best times for her and very impressive swims.

Bina Sweet ‘17

Bina, wrestling at #106, was 2-0 on Saturday including an inspiring pin over his Avon opponent. Bina is having a great season even though he gives up almost 10 pounds to every competitor. Bina is a very determined athlete and a role model of hard work and determination.

Alysha Wong ‘14

Senior co-captain Alysha Wong delivered the best performance of the day for the girls’ varsity squash team at #4 in the Hopkins Tournament.  Entering the tournament unseeded, Alysha defeated the #3, #2 and #1 seeds to win her flight giving up only two games in those three matches. Alysha displayed hard work and determination throughout the match.

Cody Cavanaugh ‘17

Cody averaged 10 points in the boys’ third basketball team’s two victories over Rectory and Eaglebrook last week. Cody brings great coachability and competitiveness to the team.  He is a terrific team player who also excels on defense with his quick feet and smart play.

Christina Zalewski ‘14

On Saturday Christina scored 2 goals and 1 assist at Gunnery, including the game winning goal.  On Wednesday at Berkshire, she tallied the first goal in the Wildcat’s overtime win.  Christina has been playing center this season and is relied on heavily to play both outstanding defense and offense.  She has been working very hard and is a difference maker for the team every time she steps on the ice.  Christina is a team captain and has been an excellent leader on and off the ice.

Max Willman ‘14

In the three games of boys’ varsity hockey this week, Max has registered 6 goals and 2 assists. Max has a season total of 13 goals and 8 assists and is averaging 1.75 points per game. Max is a team captain and has lead by example on and off the ice and has been instrumental in the team getting off to a 7-4-1 start this season.

Rosie Lacas ‘14

Rosie played outstanding hockey in goal for the girls jv hockey team this week as she made some key saves in a 4-2 win again Berkshire on Wednesday, and then turned in a superb 25 save performance in a thrilling 3-2 victory over perennial JV power Westminster, including a few critical stops in the closing seconds as Westminster was on the power play and pulled the goalie in an attempt to tie the game.

Natalia Baum ‘15

Natalia helped lead the girl’s varsity basketball team to a 51-29 victory over Ethel Walker on Wednesday. She had a game high 19 points and also led Williston in rebounds and steals. On Monday Natalia scored 26 points in a convincing 63-26 win over Suffield

Joey O’Connell ‘14

Joey’s 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal led the boy’s varsity basketball team to a thrilling 61-44 win over Class B rival Pomfret School. It was the first time the team has won at Pomfret in six years.

Yu-Chen Wang ‘15

Yu-Chen played a key role in the girls’ jv basketball team’s 38-22 victory over Ethel Walker on Wednesday. She drove hard to the basket all day, scoring 17 points in 22 minutes, drawing multiple fouls and making five free throws.

Tiger Liu ‘14

Tiger’s strong play helped lead the boy’s jv basketball team to a big 20 point win over Wilbraham & Monson on Wednesday. Tiger’s foul shots were timely, but his rebounding proved to be a key to the victory.

Below are schedules and results (when available) for holiday tournaments in which Williston teams are participating. Scores will be updated as they become available.

Girls Basketball

26th Annual Ray Brown Holiday Tournament at Williston

Friday, December 20th

BB&N 51 – Hopkins 19

Williston 49 – Brooks 24

Saturday, December 21st

BB&N 53 – Brooks 25

Williston 52 – Hopkins 10

Brooks 61 – Hopkins 38

BB&N 46 – Williston 44

Champion: BB&N

Second Place: Williston

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The following Williston students have received post-season honors for their play during the fall athletic season.

Field Hockey

Catie Laraway ’14 –  Western New England All-Star Team, NEPSAC Class B All-Tournament Team

Maggie Fitzgerald ’14 – Western New England All-Star Team

Morgan Fisher ’16 – NEPSAC Class B All-Tournament Team

Football

Anthony Cruz ’14 – All New England, First Team All Colonial League

Ledell Robinson ’14 – All New England, First Team All Colonial League

Sam Blake ’14 – First Team All Colonial League

Marquis Francois ’14 – First Team All Colonial League

Scott Hendrick ’14 – Second Team All Colonial League

Alex Massengill ’14 – Second Team All Colonial League

Stephen Goldsmith ’15 – Second Team All Colonial League

James Griffin ’16 – Second Team All Colonial League

Boys Soccer

Caleb DeMello ’14 – Class A/B Western New England Select Team, NEPSAC All-Star Team

Aaron James ’16 – Class A/B Western New England Select Team

Bailey Gawron ’14 – NEPSAC All-Star Team

Girls Soccer

Gia Parker ’14 – Western New England All-Star Team, NEPSAC All-Star Team

Boys Water Polo

Calvin Frye ’16 – All New England Team

Alicia Barry ‘14

Alicia had an assist on the game tying goal in the team’s season opener against Millbrook School.  Alicia showed great composure defensively and definitely got the offense started by skating the puck into the offensive zone.  Her strength, confidence and talent was apparent every time she was on the ice against Millbrook.

Kevin Li ‘16

Kevin sealed the victory for boys varsity squash in the deciding match against St. Mark’s on Wednesday in the team’s season opener. After winning game one, then losing games two and three he had to win games four and five to give Williston the win. At the Hopkins Tournament on Saturday Kevin competed again at number five against three other schools and won two of the matches, helping Williston place 4th place out of eight teams.

Erin An ‘15

Erin competed in her first wrestling match and had one of the most thrilling and inspirational matches of the day as she came from behind to beat her Hopkins opponent 12-6. Everyone in attendance was riveted as she scored time and again and sealed her victory. To be able to step into the varsity lineup and win such a big match is awesome. She used a winning smile along with a lot of physical and mental toughness to go 3-0 on her very first day of wrestling matches!

James Griffin ’16

James has worked extremely hard all season to catch up to some of his more experienced teammates. He won a thrilling victory over a seasoned opponent from Suffield by pin, and was a perfect 3-0 on his very first day of competition. James showed perseverance and a positive attitude. Those attributes define his work all season!