The spring season athletic awards assembly was held on Friday May 23, 2014. The Athletic Department presented the Blanket Award for participation followed by the George Denman Award and the Alumnae Award, which are presented to a senior boy and girl. In addition the award winners for individual sports were announced.

The Blanket Award is given in recognition of those students who have participated on a team in every season they have been in the upper school at Williston. The following students were presented Blanket Awards at the awards assembly.

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Taylor Senecal ‘14

Taylor has had a great season for the girls’ varsity golf team. Taylor’s stellar play has helped the Wildcats string together a record of 9 wins and 3 losses. Last week Taylor continued her outstanding play by shooting a 40 against her opponents at Miss Hall’s and Miss Porter’s. Taylor’s round of 4 over par was low enough to earn her as the match medalist, continuing her streak of having the lowest round of the match. Taylor is a great role model for the younger players on the team and her leadership will be missed next season.

Adey Adams ‘14

Adey has been an integral part of the boys’ varsity track team’s success this year. Adey has continued to improve throughout the season, as he has run a personal best nearly every week in each of his events. Last week competing against Worcester Academy and Cushing Academy, Adey placed first in the 200m andsecond in 100m. In addition to his individual success, Adey is also anchors the 4×100 relay team. Adey has become a team leader and his work ethic provides a great example for the younger kids on the team.

Dimity Wanag ‘16

Dimity has had a successful season as the goalie for the girls’ jv lacrosse team.  Dimity’s solid play in goal has helped the team to a 6-3 record on the season. In the last two weeks Dimity helped secure wins over Suffield, Choate and Kingswood. Dimity has been a hard working and positive force on the team all season long.

Parker Luber ‘18

Parker has played very well for the boys jv lacrosse team this past week. On Wednesday, Parker had 7 goals and 4 assist against Northfield Mt. Hermon.  On Saturday against Worcester Academy he added 3 more goals, bringing his weekly total to 10 goals and 4 assists.  In addition to his scoring capabilities, Parker leads by example by consistently outhustling his opponents.  His determination and scrappy play have been crucial to the Wildcats success.

Gabby Thomas ‘15

Gabby has had a great season for the girls’ varsity track team. This season Gabby continues to break records at almost every meet. Last week Gabby broke her own record in the 100m, with a time of 11.9 sec. In addition, she broke the triple jump record by jumping a distance of 38’ 1/4”, and she also tied the school record in the 200m with a time of 25.9sec. Gabby’s work ethic and preparation provides a great example for her teammates.

Alex Kozikowski ‘14

Alex has been playing very well for the boys’ varsity tennis team.In last week’s match against Avon, Alex and partner William Flynn won the Wildcats only doubles point of the match. Alex then prevailed in his singles match, earning Williston’s only singles win of the match against a strong opponent. Alex started the match with a first set deficit of 3-0. He was able to persevere and continued to fight and played hard moving on to win his match by a score of 7-5, 6-2. Alex’s mental toughness and ability to play hard until the end enables him to be competitive in every match.

Delaney Belinskas ‘16

Delaney has been an integral part of the varsity softball team this year. Last week against Choate, she sparked a rally for the Wildcats by blasting a two run homer. Not only has Delaney been a force at the plate, but her defensive play have helped anchor the team. Delaney has been a determined and focused player all season long.

Maddie Motsinger ‘15

Maddie has been a steady, positive presence on the girl’s jv tennis team this year.  She was elected co-captain by the team and has set the tone with her sportsmanship and strong effort. She won her match last weekend at Northfied Mt. Hermon with a straight set victory at the number two singles spot. During the match Maddie displayed rapidly improving form, consistency, and strategy. Maddie displays the qualities of a great leader and is a fantastic role model for the younger girls on the team.

Julie Lord ‘16

Julie had exceptional wins for the girls’ varsity tennis team in her last two matches. She was victorious against both Westminster’s and Deerfield’s number one singles players. In both of these matches, she was tested by strong players but was able to use her powerful groundstrokes and serve effectively. She also demonstrated intelligent shot selection and mental toughness in these matches. Julie’s work ethic and her ability to lead by example makes her a great role model for the younger players on the team.

Andrew Liu ‘15

Andrew plays a crucial role on the boys’ varsity lacrosse team as the face-off man. At the face-off, Andrew has won nearly 60% of his draws this year, which has amounted to 70+ possessions for Williston’s offense. Last week he was 11/18 against Wilbraham and Monson, and 10/12 against Hopkins. Andrew’s play has been vital to the success of the team this season.

Kelly Killeen ‘16

Kelly has pitched very well for the jv baseball team. Recently he went 5 1/3 innings against Salisbury to get the win and a full 7 innings giving up no earned runs in the team’s win over Rectory. Kelly’s attitude, composure and work ethic are a tremendous example for the players on his team.

Gabby Thomas ’15 started the track season off with a bang setting two school records in the team’s season opening meet against Cheshire and Millbrook. Thomas, who had set both records in 2013,  long jumped 18’ 5” to break her old mark of 17’ 7 1/2” and triple jumped 36’ 11 1/2” surpassing her previous record of 36’ 6”. Thomas also holds the school record in the 100m dash with a time of 12.02 set at the New England Championships last year.

Maddy Stern ‘14

Maddy helped lead the girls’ varsity water polo team on Wednesday as she scored 6 goals in the team’s 9-2 win over Suffield Academy. Maddy is a consistent force in the pool on game day, but her drive in and out of the water is what makes her a great player. Maddy’s work ethic and passion for the sport are contagious, and she is a great leader and role model for the younger athletes.

JD Askin ‘14

JD is off to a great start this season with the varsity baseball team. He has an impressive batting average of .500 in his last three games and .667 overall average.  In addition, JD has been reliable at second base for the Wildcats. As a third year varsity player, JD possess great leadership qualities. His work in the off-season and his team first mentality will be valuable to the Wildcats this season.

Jess Wendelken ‘16

Jess played an outstanding game on Saturday against Berkshire for the girls jv lacrosse team. Playing midfield, Jess was instrumental in helping the Wildcats maintain possession and move the ball up field. Jess’s effort and determination helped the team prevail by the score of 10-4. Jess is a wonderful role model for the younger players on the squad, and her fair play is admirable.

Arvin Fieldman ‘17

Arvin had an impressive week of play for the boys JV lacrosse team. Arvin tallied 2 goals and an assist in Williston’s game against Rectory on Wednesday. On Saturday, Arvin followed up with 2 goals and an 4 assists in the team’s win over Watkinson. Arvin has been elected captain and his tireless work ethic has set a great example for the younger players on the team.

Marquis Francois ‘14 (Jersey City, NJ) was honored on Sunday evening at the Western Massachusetts chapter of the National Football Foundation banquet held at the University of Massachusetts. Francois is this year’s recipient of the Dr. Frank L. Boyden Award given in honor of the longtime Deerfield Academy headmaster.   The award recognizes the outstanding Western Massachusetts prep school football scholar-athlete.  Francois was captain as a Senior and started as a defensive tackle for the Williston football team for the past three years.  In recognition of his outstanding play, he was named to the First Team All League Colonial League football team in both his Junior and Senior years.  As a scholar, Francois has distinguished himself by consistently earning Honors over the past four years.

Previous Williston recipients include:

2012 – John Woodside
2011 – Kevin Conroy
2009 – Max Richards
2007 – Mike Petegorsky
2006 – Colin Elliott
2004 – Bryan Bolte
1997 – William Lopes
1993 – John Kane
1983 – William Okun
1974 – Richard White
1971 – Gil Timm
1967 – David Urquhart

Mikey Thomson ‘14

Mikey went 3-4 with 4 RBI’s, a double and a triple in Williston’s home opener, a win over Gunnery. Mikey’s bases loaded triple helped to spark a rally by the Williston offense, giving the team a huge lead enroute to a 19-10 win.. As a senior team captain, Mikey leads by example. His performance on the field is matched by his work ethic off the field and passion for the game is contagious.

Maddie Hatch ‘14

Maddie played outstanding lacrosse for the girls’ varsity team in both contests last week against Hotchkiss and Wilbraham & Monson. In addition to her numerous assists and draws, Maddie had 4 key goals in each contest for the Wildcats. As a senior captain, Maddie leads her team by example on and off the field. Maddie’s hard work and dedication to the sport is second to none and her leadership will guarantee the further development of the team.

Loren Po ‘15

Loren was the “Man of the Match” in Saturday’s boys’ varsity tennis match against Gunnery. He exemplified outstanding determination, sportsmanship and a can-do attitude during his win. Loren split the first two sets, then during the tie breaker, Loren quickly went down 0-4. He faced the adversity and didn’t give up comingh back to win 10-5, which clinched the overall match win for Williston! The junior’s determination showed the Williston tennis team what it takes to be successful on and off the court!

Director of Athletics Mark Conroy announced the winter season athletic awards and spoke about the nine winter teams during assembly on Friday, March 28th. Below are the sport highlights and award winners for each team.

Girls Basketball

This winter was another successful season for our girls basketball program. The JV squad had a very strong season under Coaches Thompson and Schneider, finishing with a 10-5 record.  Highlights included an exciting two-point victory at Westminster and decisive victories over rivals Suffield and Wilbraham and Monson.

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The girls swim and diving team finished off a great season with a strong showing at the NEPSAC Division II Championships on Saturday at Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. Natalie Aquadro ’17 set a meet record in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.34) taking first in the event for the second year in a row and followed up that swim with a second place finish in the 200 IM. Sally Alrutz ’19 set a Williston school record while taking second place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.09 and in her other individual event swam to a second place finish in the 100 butterfly. Emily Yeager ’17 had a break out meet finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Maya Soley ’18 put together an impressive day with a third place finish in the 200 IM and a fourth place finish in the 500 freestyle. Ashley Fitch ’15 put together strong swims in the 200 and 500 freestyle finishing tenth and ninth respectively.  The girls relay team of Alrutz, Aquadro, Soley, and Yeager also swam to third place finishes in the 200 Medley and 400 Freestyle relays.

The Williston boys swim team led by senior captains Matt Wagman and Wilder Denholmn, along with Calvin Frye ’16 and  David Fitch ’17 put together some excellent swims today to finish a great season in style. The four boys teamed up for two third place finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays in closely contested races. Denholm finished sixth in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Fitch swam to an impressive second place in the 200 freestyle and finished eighth in the 100 freestyle. Frye finished 4th in the 200 freestyle and 11th in the 100 free. Alex Li ’15 finished an impressive fourth in the 100 backstroke and tenth in the 100 butterfly.