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.

Nick Garofano ‘16

Nick has been an instrumental part of the boys’ varsity lacrosse team’s offense this spring. His ability to initiate offense, dodge past defenders, and find teammates after being double-teamed, has established him as a major offensive threat. Last week Nick registered 17 points in the team’s two games, going 5/3 against Division 1 opponent Taft, and 3/6 against league opponent, Gunnery.

Mary McCarthy ‘15

Mary has had a great start to the season for the girls’ varsity water polo team. Mary posted big games in the net over the weekend for the Wildcats as the team won a pair of one goal games. She racked up 14 saves in the 6-5 win versus Andover, during which she added scoring a goal to her stat sheet. Against Exeter, Mary recorded 18 saves in the 5-4 win. Mary is a great leader and role model for the younger girls on the team.

Justin Frometa ‘16

Justin had a great start to the season for the varsity baseball team on Saturday as he went 2-4 with two doubles and 3 RBI in the team’s come-from-behind win over Gunnery.  He also played well defensively at catcher.  Justin’s enthusiasm is infectious and his work ethic is unparalleled on the team.

Marielle McHale ‘18

Marielle had a great start for the jv girls’ lacrosse team on Saturday against Loomis Chaffee. Starting at center, she played both offense and defense throughout the game, contributing at both ends and in transition.  Marielle scored one goal and was integral in creating six more.  Most importantly, she led the team in loose ball controls. Marielle has great work ethic and this is exemplified through her play on the field.

By Coach Gunn

Defending champions Williston Northampton School earned a third-place finish in the New England Interscholastic Squash Association (NEISA) Class C Championships held at Pomfret School on Saturday, February 28.

Led by three Easthampton natives—senior co-captain Julia Valine, fellow senior Hannah King, and sophomore Lindsay Whipple—Williston’s 41 points trailed only Greens Farm Academy (56) and host Pomfret (49) in earning the third place by one point over Canterbury School (40).  Originally seeded fifth overall, this terrific performance was made all the more special as the eight other teams voted Williston to receive the prize for best sportsmanship.

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In a thrilling NEPSAC Class A Championship game, Williston edged rival Suffield Academy by 51-48.   The Wildcats came out of the gates fast behind the hot shooting of guards Ryan Richmond ’15 and Jake Ross ’16.   The Suffield Tigers proved up to the challenge as they battled from behind all day, refusing to let the Wildcats pull away. The Wildcats led at the half 30-25.

In the second half, the game remained closely contested.  The Tigers used a strong inside game to keep the score close.   With under a minute to play, clinging to a 48-47 lead, Williston junior Jake Ross came up with a key steal and converted one of two free throws to up the precarious lead to 49-47.  Suffield turned the ball over on the next possession and quickly fouled junior Chris Hudson.  Hudson calmly sank both free throws to seal the victory for the Wildcats.

It was a tremendous season for Williston and first year coach Mike Shelton as the team made the move from Class B to Class A.   The Wildcats finished 23-3, avenging their only Class A loss.  Suffield and Williston split their two game series during the season.  The Wildcats were led by Tournament MVP Richmond with 15 followed by Ross and Hudson with 11 each.

Williston’s boys basketball team defeated Tabor Academy 66-51 to reach the NEPSAC Class A Championship game. Today’s contest was a rematch of a game played on February 27 that Williston won 68-57. Today the Wildcats pulled away in the second half to win going away 66-51.   The first half was a see-saw battle that ended with Williston taking a narrow 25-24 halftime lead.  In the second half, the trio of Jake Ross (junior from Northampton), Ryan Richmond (senior from Toronto), and Chris Hudson (junior from Hodgdon, ME) led the Wildcats to victory.  Ross had 22, Richmond 18 and Hudson 16.   Tabor was led by Jess Bunting with 17.  The championship game will be played at 1:00pm at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. Williston will face Suffield Academy, who defeated Kent School in their semi-final matchup.  Williston and Suffield split their two games this season with Williston defeating the Tigers 76-59 at Suffield in January and Suffield topping the Wildcats 61-54 in February in Easthampton.

Admission at Endicott is $10 for Adults and $5 for Students. Concessions will be available on site. Tickets and concessions are CASH ONLY.

The girls hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to St. Paul’s School in their semi-final matchup. St. Paul’s scored the game’s only goal with 27 seconds remaining in the first period. The game was played at an uptempo pace with both teams having numerous scoring chances, but both goaltenders were outstanding. Williston finishes the season with a 20-1-4 record, the best in school history.

Williston’s girls hockey and boys basketball teams advanced to the  semi-final round in their respective tournaments, while the girls basketball team came up just short on Wednesday.

The girls hockey team (20-0-4) fell behind Choate early in the game, but rallied in the second period behind two goals by Rachel Rockwell ’16 and one by Delaney Belinskas ’16 to take a 3-1 lead. In the third period Williston limited Choate’s offensive chances until late in the game when goaltender Morgan Fisher ’16 made a couple of key saves. The Wildcats will host sixth seed St. Paul’s School in the semi-final round at 3:00 p.m. at Lossone Arena. The championship game will be played on Sunday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m. at Berkshire School.

The boys basketball team (21-3) came out on top in a spirited contest with two-time defending champion Phillips Exeter Academy. The Wildcats rallied from an eight point deficit with 10 minutes to go to take a late lead and held on for a 61-56 win. Jake Ross ’16 scored 17 of his game high 27 points in the second half to spark Williston. The boys will host six seeded Tabor Academy in the semi-final round at 1:00 p.m. at the Williston Athletic Center. The championship game will be played on Sunday, March 8 at 1:00 p.m. at Endicott College in Beverly, MA.

The girls basketball team (18-4) fell to Pomfret School 59-56. The Wildcats led by one at halftime, but Pomfret built a 10 point lead in the second half. Williston cut that lead to two points late in the game,  but was unable to get any closer. Williston was led by Natalia Baum’s team-high 22 points.

The semi-final games will both be held at Williston on Saturday, March 7. The boys basketball team will take on Tabor Academy at 1:00 p.m., and the girls hockey team will face St. Paul’s at 3:00 p.m.