Titans Victorious

• WMA fans cheer on Titan players after the victory.

Boys’ Prep Basketball shines at national showcase

As written for Atlas, WMA’s monthly newspaper

With roughly half of the student body in tow, the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Boys’ Prep Basketball team competed at the 20th Annual Hoophall Classic Showcase at Springfield College’s Blake Arena on Jan. 17.

The Titans won impressively, topping Life Christian Academy of Kissimmee, Florida, by 30 points, 72–42. This high-profile event was not only against an out-of-conference team, but was also televised on ESPNU.

The game was highly anticipated by the entirety of the school. Head of School Brian Easler made schedule adjustments to open attendance for the game to students who were interested.

The event attracted more than 150 members of the WMA community, represented in red clothing, as well as viewers at home. Coach Mike Mannix said the team’s level of maturity allowed them to distance themselves from the setting. Simply, he added, “Because we are on TV, don’t reinvent the wheel.”

Nikias Schonerstedt ’22, a first-year player from Austria, described the event as unforgettable, as it was his biggest American basketball event to date.

He recalled the feeling when he made a 3-pointer in the first quarter and said, “That was special! I had goosebumps after the shot, and to hear the whole WMA section cheer and go crazy was amazing.”

Schonerstedt mentioned that in the beginning of the school year, he had to adjust to new rules and playing styles of the U.S. This would have been difficult to accomplish without the help of his teammates and new friends.

He said, “We always have the right words to push and motivate each other to get better every day and that is what makes our chemistry so good.”

One of these teammates was Kyle Filipowski ’22, who was named MVP of the game against Life Christian with 28 points, 10 rebounds and strong defense.

Coach Mannix felt Filipowski, a 6-foot-11 forward, stuck out as the strongest player of the game, but “at the same time, we had 10 guys score, and that’s all we have.”

Everyone played a significant role in the game, especially by keeping the energy high and always having confidence in each other. An aspect of these games that the team can always count on is the endless support from the WMA community.

Brendan Herbert ’22, a prominent leader of the student section, said, “The boys did their thing, we did ours. We are the best combination in NEPSAC.”

This reciprocated confidence created a uniting atmosphere that everyone in the gym could sense. Coach Mannix said the support from the student section can often overwhelm the other team, explaining why they often feel responsible for the role they play in the outcome of the game.

WMA student Charlie Bowman ’22 wondered how the “other team must have felt going up against two 7-foot twins (Matt and Kyle Filipowski) and then looking at a crowd of red. We represent the school tremendously and I feel that we have made a huge impact.”

• Opening tip at WMA’s game at the Hoophall Classic in January. 2021–2022 Highlights

Coaches: Mike Mannix (head), Chris Iversen Captains: Deven Austin ’22, Kyle Filipowski ’22

TEAM • Record: 24–3 (school record for wins) • National Prep Championships: Elite 8 / quarterfinalist (2–1 record) • NEPSAC Class AA Championships: No. 1 seed, semifinalist • National rankings: Ranked as high as No. 7 • Hoophall Classic: Defeated Life Christian Academy (Fla.), 72–42, on ESPNU

INDIVIDUAL • Kyle Filipowski (Duke, Naismith Award finalist,

NEPSAC Player of the Year): 24 ppg, 12 rpg • Deven Austin (Princeton, National All-Academic

Game): 16 ppg, 6 rpg • Matthew Filipowski (Harvard): 14 ppg, 10 rpg

football

Football finishes in win, awards column

An exciting final game of the season transferred to an exciting postseason for the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Football team.

The Titans, who rallied from a 12-point deficit at halftime to beat Albany Academy 37–19 in its finale, landed six players on the all-league team and two on the prestigious all-conference team.

Desmond Perezcastaneda ’23, Nick Pestrichello ’22 and Will Hardy ’22 were named to the All-Evergreen First Team, while teammates Enrique Rosado ’22, Dylan Quigley ’22 and Hudson Perham ’22 received Second Team honors.

Meanwhile, Desmond was selected to the All-New England Prep School Athletic Conference First Team, and Nick to the Second Team.

Desmond Perezcastaneda ’23

Nick Pestrichello ’22

Will Hardy ’22

track

Ava Aguiar ’23 finishes 4th at New Englands

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Ava Aguiar ’23 ran like one of the best runners in New England all regular season.

At the biggest meet of the season, Ava showed the regular season was not a fluke.

Ava placed fourth among 131 runners in a time of 20 minutes, 45 seconds on a tough 5K course at the New England Prep School Track Association Division III Championships, which was held at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Mass., on Nov. 13.

“I wanted to get a good spot at the start so I sprinted out with the lead girls and tried to keep on them as much as I could,” Ava explained. “It was a pretty flat course so that was easy, and the hills came at the end. It turned into a hilly course but it was OK.

“I’m pretty proud of my performance. It was stressful not knowing what to expect. It was a little scary having all those runners and coaches around, but it was fun and everyone on the team had a good time so that made it a good race. I’m really proud of the team. They all put in their best effort and it was a good race for everyone.”

First-, second- and third-place finishes at invitationals during the regular season had Ava prepared for the season finale.

“Saturday was a tough course, and as always, Ava brought it,” Coach Bill Rosenbeck beamed. “She always has a strategy to keep pace with the top runners. She spent a good portion of the race in the lead. She performed very well. It had rained the night before so it was wet and muddy; a couple times she went right through the puddles with no fear.

“She did everything to prove she was one of the top runners in New England, and she was that day as she has been all season long. We couldn’t be more proud of her and she should be proud of herself as well.”

riflery

Titans finish perfect for 5th time in 6 seasons

Perfection—again.

Coming off a perfect regular season, the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Riflery team won both of its postseason competitions, giving the Titans an undefeated record for the fifth time in six years.

“The key to this season was the immediate impact three of our first-year shooters made,” Coach Bill Passy said. “Sophomores Leopold Heiss, Askar Bakirdinov and Matt Clark all made it into the 190s multiple times this season. Each shot a 189 in the championship match. They each have bright futures for WMA Riflery ahead of them.”

In the finale at the Connecticut High School State Championship, Colin Oh’s ’22 second-place finish of 193 (of 200 points) led the Titans to the victory. Matt (189), Askar (189), Leo (188) and Arzum Li ’24 (188) gave WMA the depth to secure the victory Feb. 23 at Blue Trail Range in Connecticut.

A week earlier, at the Prep Gallery Match Feb. 16 at Blue Trail, the preselected group of Steven Holik ’22 (195), Leo (193), Colin (189) and Askar (189) teamed for a score of 766 to lead WMA to the win for the sixth-straight season.

“Any time anyone wins an event, at any level, at any age, in any sport, for six straight years is a tremendous achievement,” Coach Passy said. “We had our best shooting day of the season at the Prep Gallery Match. If we had used the regular league scoring of top five, we would have neared a school record.

“At the Connecticut State Championship, Colin Oh was tremendous. He shot 193, which was second best for the match among 50 shooters. It was a total team effort. Our depth proved to be the difference as we had five others shoot between 187 and 189. Bunnell High School had three of the top five scores on the day, but did not have the depth that we had.”

• from LEft, froNt roW: Matt Clark ’24, Guo Yin ’23, Samuel Jasmin ’22, Askar Bakirdinov ’24. middLE roW: Wooseung “Colin” Oh ’22, Jinseon “Bella” Hwang ’22, Steven Holik ’22, Marisa Cyboron ’24, Sungjae “Jay” Yeo ’24. BAck roW: Head Coach Bill Passy, Arzum Li ’24, Leopold Heiss ’24,

Jake Girhiny ’22, Coach Brian Lautenschleger.