Weekly Athletics Update
Happy New Year to all! The break was nice, but so too was the resumption of Athletic contests this past week. Despite the fact that our teams had very little practice preparation in advance of competitions, our clubs fared quite well.
- Boys’ Ice Hockey hosted a Showcase tournament at the Worcester Ice Center over the weekend as they welcomed Trinity-Pawling, Lawrence Academy and Canterbury to the WIC on Friday and Saturday. In the opening tilt vs. Canterbury, WA received a strong goal tending performance from Wes Modica ’26 but eventually bowed by a 3-2 count to the Saints. The back end of the weekend series proved too much for the Hilltoppers as Trinity-Pawling eased past WA with a dominant offensive showing. WA will look to get on track on Wednesday afternoon when they host Williston at 4:00 p.m. at the WIC.
- Girls’ Basketball tipped off on Saturday afternoon against a solid Hoosac team in a Class AAA matchup and found themselves trailing at the half. Undaunted, the Hilltoppers dug in on the defensive end and rode a 30-point performance from Cam Rust and prevailed 59-53. Senior sharpshooter Kailee McDonald (15 points) and junior backcourt mate, Gianna Nichols (9 points) made game long contributions to help secure WA’s 7th win on the young season. Loomis-Chaffee will provide the opposition on Wednesday afternoon, 3:30 p.m. start.
- Senior guard Kayvaun Mulready poured in 34 points and junior Peyton Kamin added 22 as the Hilltoppers ran their overall Class AA record to 5-1 with a pulsating 88-82 win over the MacDuffie School. WA surged to a 4-point half time lead with important contributions from Max Miller ‘24, Anthony DeJong ’26, Dylan Cote ’25 and Connor Swider ’25 and hit crucial free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. The Hilltoppers will host Phillips Andover at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday here on Rowe Court.
- Girls’ Ice Hockey returned to play on Saturday as they hosted Lawrence Academy at the WIC. In a solid 2-way performance, WA couldn’t come up with the game equalizer and fell 2-1. Phillips Exeter Academy will travel to Worcester for a game on Wednesday, 4:00 p.m.
- 3rds Basketball rode the hot hand of Wesley Stromme ’28 and pushed past the Pomfret School in Connecticut on Saturday. Jaden Aytek ’27 and Lucas Stockenberg ’27 poured in 14 points apiece as the Hilltoppers offensive balance proved the difference. After opening the season with a bunch of road games, the 3rds team will begin their home slate with a 5:00 p.m. contest on Wednesday against Austin Prep.
- Despite a setback to the Deerfield Academy JV team, the young Hilltopper JV team continues to improve as they competed against a deeper, more experienced Deerfield team on Saturday. The team has a few more days to grab some practice time as their next contest is on Saturday when they travel to Portsmouth Abbey for a 1:30 p.m. game.
Around the Rim:
TD Garden – Sunday, January 14
Don’t be left out–get your tickets, reserve a seat on the bus and come to Boston to root our Girls’ Varsity Basketball team on as they face the Rivers School at 7:00 p.m. sharp!
Congratulations to WA football standouts, Nwojo Uga (Boston, Ma) and Keith Sarkodieh who signed Letters-of Intent just prior to the break to attend University of Albany and UMASS-Amherst respectively.
Co-Athlete of the Week:
Cam Rust ’24 – Girls’ Varsity Basketball
Kayvaun Mulready ’24 – Boys’ Varsity Basketball
