By Jake Durocher ’18, Staff Writer, The Willistonian

Aboooood! This is how senior basketball player Abdulraheem Abuissa is greeted everyday as he walks to class with a smile on his face.

“It is hard to find Abood not in a good mood,” Senior Jack Phelan said. “With a constant smile and same greeting every time, ‘what’s up man?’ there is nothing you can’t like about him.”

Williston is a long way from home for the basketball standout; Abood is from Doha, Qatar. “Every break I am lucky enough to go home and see my family,” Abood said. “At the very least I will be able to see my dad in New York on the weekends, because he works there a lot.” Abood knows how lucky this is for an international student, and does not take this for granted. Continue reading →

Ana Weed ’18 – Girls Varsity Soccer

Anna has been a big piece of the Wildcats success this season. Playing midfield, she consistently works hard on both the offensive and defensive side of the field as she is a consistent scoring threat and can be counted on to stop opponents’ offensive push.  On Wednesday, against Kent, she scored a beautiful goal off a restart to help jumpstart the Wildcats. Against Suffield on Saturday she played hard and strong on both ends of the field.  She provides a positive attitude day in and day out and she is a fantastic teammate. Continue reading →

Ed. note: This story originally ran in The Willistonain. It was written by Staff Writer Oskar Lee ’18.

In a rare move, Duncan LeXander, rising basketball star, turned down a college scholarship and returned to Williston as a postgraduate.

Duncan signed his letter of intent to play at Presbyterian in South Carolina on November 16, 2016. In May he graduated from Williston. On June 29, 2017, he announced on Twitter that he had de-committed from Presbyterian.

“After careful consideration, and talking with my family, coaches, and those closest to me, I have decided to de-commit and ask my release from Presbyterian College,” he wrote. He went on to thank everyone for their understanding and ended by thanking former Presbyterian Coach Gregg Nibert for recruiting him. Coach Nibert resigned on April 12th after 28 seasons.

Duncan then played for his summer league team. Team Magic Elite, in Memphis for two-and-a-half months in tournaments throughout the United States such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Kansas City. Continue reading →

Ed. note: This post originally ran in The Willistonian and was written by Staff Writer Mark Woort-Menker ’18.

The boys cross-country season has begun and there is a lot of hope for a good season.

Even though there is a rebuilding stage on the team due to most of the seniors graduating last year, there is a lot of excitement for what’s to come.

Their top runners are Nick Sinofsky, Oscar DeFrancis, and Nat Markey, who are all sophomores.

The team’s record last year in their division was 4-0, which included wins against Kent, Taft, and Avon. They are coached by Williston alum Christa Talbot Syfu ’98, who is in her sixth season.

This year should be a big year for young runners, Talbot Syfu explained.

“We graduated our top three runners,” Talbot Syfu said. “Which means the opportunity for a lot of young runners and new students.” Continue reading →

By Matt Liebowitz

When Madison Fulcher-Melendy scored a header goal on the Northampton Hornets, her teammate, fellow third-grader Fiona Bundy, was right there cheering her on.

“I thought it was so cool,” said Fiona.

“That was probably the highlight of my career,” Madison jokingly added.

They have come a long way since then, but Fiona and Madison are still fans of each other, and still playing on the same teams. They’ve had plenty of on-field time to foster that friendship: When they stepped onto the soccer field for this year’s pre-season workouts, it marked the fourth year running playing on Williston’s varsity squad together under the coaching of Jen Fulcher (Madison’s mom). Continue reading →

By Matt Liebowitz

Jordan Strum’s fastball makes a mark—on the opposing lineup, who one after another leave the box dejected, bat in hand; on the catcher’s glove, which it hits with a satisfying and resonant smack; and on her coaches and teammates, who show the confidence of playing behind such a force on the mound.

Jordan’s fastball, most of all, makes a mark on Jordan. Her arsenal of pitches, which also includes a change-up, drop curve, screwball, and “riseball,” is, in a way, Jordan’s armor on the softball field. Continue reading →