A true competitor who her coach says has established herself as one of the top goalies in the New England prep school circuit will be taking to the ice against Canada this weekend.

Morgan Fisher ’16 was chosen as one of 23 players on the U-18 National Team after distinguishing herself at the 2015 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival, according to the USA Hockey website.

Ms. Fisher, a goaltender, will represent the United States in a series against Canada from August 19-23 in Lake Placid, New York.

“I am extremely proud of this accomplishment to earn a spot and compete at this level,” her coach, Christa Talbot, noted in an email after hearing the news. “She is a fierce competitor and has become much more confident in the net over the last year.”

Ms. Fisher earned eight shutouts and allowed 18 goals in 25 games at Williston Northampton last season. She attended the inaugural US Women’s Team Goaltending Development Camp in Blaine, MN.

Coach Talbot said she was proud of “the person and player that Morgan has become over the past year,” and noted that Ms. Fisher’s focus on off-ice training had made her an even better goaltender.

“She took everything that she learned and all the feedback that she received and has implemented it into her game,” Ms. Talbot said. “She’s not taking anything for granted.”

“It’s been a wild ride.”

That’s the first thing Michael Shelton says as he leans back onto his office couch and smoothes his tie. This is a rare moment of contemplation for the coach and assistant director of admissions. His phone is always ringing: There’s a new student asking about the team, a basketball player who needs workout advice, an advisee with a schedule question.

Coach Shelton—like so many others at the school—wears many hats. Having just finished coaching one of the most successful winters in Williston Northampton basketball history, he had to transition quickly into the admission and recruitment season that marks the spring.

In his first year at Williston Northampton, Coach Shelton helped recruit 10 strong players. Those students formed the foundation of what would become a powerhouse basketball team—one that would rack up the most wins in school history, earn the #2 seed in the Class A tournament, defeat two-time defending New England champion Exeter Academy, and go on the New England Prep School Championship.

For their outstanding play during the season, three boys garnered postseason recognition on the All New England team; Ryan Richmond ’15 was named the outstanding player of the tournament; and Coach Shelton was named the NEPSAC Class A Coach of the Year.

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Williston Northampton School is the host site for the 2015 NEPSTA Division II Track & Field Championships on Saturday, May 16.

The championships will take place at Williston’s track & field facility at Galbraith Fields, starting with the field events at noon and then running events at 2:30 p.m.

Galbraith Fields (22 Taft Ave., Easthampton) are located off Payson Ave. a short distance from campus. Both parking and restrooms are available at the site.

Find directions to Williston’s campus here.

Below is the schedule of events:

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Below are Athletes of the Week for the past two weeks.

Week of April 27th

Mike Dereus ‘16

Mike has had an outstanding season for the boys’ varsity track team this season. Last week Mike broke the school record in 200m dash enroute to securing the win in the event for the Wildcats. In addition to winning the 200, Mike also won the 100m and long jump. Mike is a tremendous competitor for the Wildcats and is always striving to get better on and off the track.

Julie Lord ‘16

Julie has been a fantastic competitor for the girls’ varsity tennis team this season. She proved herself to be both mentally and physically strong last Saturday against a highly ranked opponent from St Marks. She dug deep in the second set battle to secure the win 6-1, 7-6. Julie leads by example on and off the court and she is a great role model for the younger players on the team.

Ethan Bradway ‘20

Ethan has been great role-player for the boys’ jv lacrosse team this season. Ethan made the most of his playing time against Eaglebrook on Wednesday, and was able to score two key goals. Those goals were the difference in an 8-6 victory. Coaches Hanford and KaneLong have been pleased with Ethan’s work ethic and positive attitude.

Week of May 4th

Milo Cowles ‘15

Milo has had a great season for the varsity ultimate team this season. Milo made a huge impact during the tournament last weekend.  Over the two days and 5 games the team played, Milo had 15 assists, 10 goals, and 15 defensive stops.  Milo was a force on the field and his play was a big part of the team’s success   He was clutch and came up with big plays when his team needed it.

Grace Simpson ‘15

Grace has been a big part of the girls’ varsity lacrosse team’w success this season. Gracie was a key player in games against rivals NMH and Choate as the Wildcats took both games.  Gracie had 4 goals and 3 assists against Choate and was clutch on ground balls and a big part of the great team defense against NMH.

Jack Gethings ‘15

Jack has been a big part of the baseball teams success this season. Last week, Jack had two home runs and a double against Suffield, two hits against Vermont Academy, and two more hits against Wilbraham and Monson.  For the week, Jack hit .538 with 5 RBI and 4 stolen bases.  He also has been playing stellar defense at the short stop position. Jack has been a great leader for the wildcats this season.

Issei Nakano ‘17

Issei has been a major contributor for the boys jv golf team this season. He has been the team’s most consistent golfer this spring. In the team’s last match, he shot his lowest round ever (39) to help pace us to a win over both NMH and Eagle Hill. Issei’s performance has been a big part of the Wildcats’ success this season.

The girls water polo team has qualified for the NEPSAC Championship tournament for the first time ever.

Williston earned the #3 seed  and will host #6 seed Phillips Exeter Academy this coming Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. in a quarterfinal game, which will determine who advances to Saturday’s semi-finals.

“We have not qualified for the NEPSAC tournament since the .500 rule has been instituted, so this is our first invite under the current format,” noted Coach Bill Berghoff, adding that this will be Exeter’s first visit to the Williston pool.

The Final Four will be held at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire.  Williston and Exeter split their two regular season games during the season, with Exeter winning at home and Willisotn winning at Andover.

The tournament’s field of teams, as well as Saturday’s schedule, is below.

#1 Suffield Academy
#2 Choate Rosemary Hall
#3 Williston
#4 Loomis Chaffee
#5 Hopkins
#6 Exeter

10:15 a.m.       Semi-Final #1 vs. #4

11:30 a.m.       Semi-Final #2 vs. #3

2:00 p.m.        Third-place game

3:30 p.m.        Championship game

Willis Pollard ‘15

Will has been a strong contributor to the varsity baseball team this season.  He is hitting .364 with two triples and a double in four games.  Will also leads the team with 6 RBI.  In addition to his bat, Willis has played well in the field for the Wildcats.  He had an outstanding game in Williston’s 11-1 win over Pomfret, going 2-2 with a double and a triple and 2 RBI.

Jordan Strum ‘18

Jordan has been extremely consistent all year and has provided the girls’ varsity softball with very solid pitching. In the team’s games against Berkshire and Pomfret, Jordan recorded 16 and 11 strikeouts respectively, helping the Wildcats’ get two wins. In the game against Cheshire this past weekend, Jordan racked up 17 strikeouts. Jordan has been outstanding and her work ethic on and off the field is second to none.

Isabelle Cheney ‘20

Isabelle is off to a great start for the girls’ jv tennis team. She had two gutsy comebacks in as many games against older, more experienced opponents. A 2-6, 7-6, 9-7 three set victory at Westminster and a 2-6, 6-1, 2-10 three set loss at Deerfield. Her even keeled, consistent manner with her teammates has contributed to an improving, cohesive team; and her tenacity during competition has resulted stellar performances.

Calling her “the definition of a class act,” “a great coach,” and a woman with an “extraordinary career,” the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council field hockey coaches honored one of Williston Northampton’s longest tenured coaches during their annual meeting on Tuesday.

As a field hockey coach, Ann Pickrell had a three-decade winning legacy. After coaching for four years at Cushing Academy, Ms. Pickrell came to Williston, where she led the girls field hockey team until 2011. In the last 30 years, she had a 222-198-47 record (247-227-53 overall), including finishing fourth among 31 teams in the Western New England Prep School League in 2011.

“I think the thing that’s most rewarding, and I think you’ll all agree, is when you’re able to stay in touch with players that you’ve had and they tell you about their lives and the impact,” Ms. Pickrell said. “It’s not necessarily who won the game, but what kinds of things they learned from each other.”

In remarks during the event, Robin Chandler, director of athletics at The Hotchkiss School, praised Ms. Pickrell, who is also Williston’s assistant head of school, for her deep commitment and for having “set the bar high” for her team.

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Zach Robbins ‘17

Zach had a great match for the boys’ varsity tennis team as he helped clinch the long awaited season opener against Millbrook on Saturday, which the Wildcat’s won 5-2. Zach played extremely well in his match and helped lead the team to a win. Zach’s hard work and determination will be a big part of the Wildcats success this season.

Meg Szwalowski ‘16

Meg has had a tremendous start for the girls’ varsity lacrosse team this season. Last week Meg tallied 3 goals and 2 assists against Miss Porter’s on Wednesday and on Saturday she racked up 3 goals and 5 assists against Berkshire. In addition, Meg came up with huge draws and was vital on defense against Berkshire. Meg is a great leader on and off the field and her hard work in the off-season is clearly paying off.
 

Devin DeVerry ‘17

Devin has been a strong leader for the boys’ jv lacrosse team so far this season. Devin’s hustle and determination led to a great goal that he assisted on even though he plays defense.  Devin set the tone for the rest of the defenders on the team by playing up-tempo and determined.

Suzy Abreu ‘16

On Saturday, Suzy teamed with Aileen Park to win their 2nd doubles match 8-1 at Stoneleigh Burnham. Suzy has been a focused, strong effort player on the JV Tennis squad this season. Suzy’s example has been invaluable on the young squad that features nine players who are underclassmen. Suzy’s play and attitude will be a big part of the team’s success this season.