Amy Panczyk, football camp, Brooke Packard, Michelle Williams, and more

Bartlett's Amy Panczyk with Oxford's Emily Dawidczyk

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

With the high school outdoor track season winding down, we found ourselves in Oxford last week for an important Southern Worcester County League meet between David Prouty, Leicester, Bartlett, and host Oxford.

One of the track stars on hand in Oxford was Bartlett senior Amy Panczyk, who has been having a sensational season for the Indians.

Panczyk, who is off to Adelphi College in Long Island in September, has been running and jumping in style and in the process qualifying for the Districts in the Long Jump and the 100-meter dash, which she calls “a great accomplishment.”

The athletic senior, who is very popular among her teammates and classmates, has been involved in sports at Bartlett since coming to the school as a seventh grader.  She played soccer for three years, was exceptional on the indoor track team, and has reached new heights in outdoor track every campaign.

“Sports has been good for me. It made school more interesting and It made me do better,” said the 18-year old who has spent her entire life living in Webster with her parents Tina and Richard Panczyk and her brothers Rick and Matt.

As far as her college choice goes, she credits her former English teacher Tom Osborn, who left the school this year for an assistant principal position in Rhode Island, with helping her decide which college to attend and says, “he is pretty much the reason I am going to Adelphi.”  

She also enjoyed having Osborn as a teacher in the classroom. “He really opened us up to the other side of literature. He brought books like “Brave New World” back to the curriculum, helping us change our perspectives on the world and politics. It was really good to have him.”

Panczyk is also a big music fan and when she is not listening to her current favorite band Mumford And Sons, she is playing the clarinet and alto sax in the school band under the supervision of one of her other favorite teachers, Jeff Flynn, who she said “is really smart and knowledgeable and lets us play music that we are into.” 

Along with her love and participation in music, she was also on the yearbook staff and served on the stage crew of the theatre club.

Panczyk has her share of fans in the faculty as well. Bartlett girls track coach and teacher Brandy Whitney described Amy as “an amazing student with an amazing personality. She is a wonderful athlete and a great young lady.”

In her last few weeks at Bartlett, Panczyk continues to shine in track and field and is sure to have people smiling when she reaches Adelphi University in the fall.

Bartlett Track Stuff: Christian McManus, who won three events on Thursday said, “I’m doing good, but I am not satisfied” in reference to winning three events at the Oxford meet. How’s that for wanting it?  His teammate and fellow District qualifier Nikita Truhanovitch praised McManus and said, “He has been doing fantastic.”

Nikita didn’t do so bad himself, winning the triple jump and the high jump, and coming in second in the 100-meter hurdles on Thursday as he gets ready to compete in his final SWCL meet today at Tantasqua Regional in Fiskdale.

Others who looked good for Bartlett at the Oxford meet were Nikita’s sister, junior Deanna Truhanovitch, senior Kelly Powers, who came in second overall in the mile and the two-mile run, and the fantastic four-by-100 team of Kayla Sizer, Breanna Beardsley, Ashley Sizer, and none other than the above mentioned Panczyk.

Bartlett 4-by-100 relay team anchored by senior Amy Pancyzk, Kayla Sizer, Ashley Sizer, and Breanna Beardsley

BHS Sweat & Desire Camp:  Bartlett High School basketball head coach Tony Paranto is running his four-day basketball camp from June 26-29. It’s the thirteenth year that the camp has been running and will take place at Bartlett High School. The camp, which features former high school coaches and college players and coaches, is for boys and girls ages 8-17.

Nichols High School Player Development Camp: Nichols College will be hosting the NFL High School Development Program from June 4-7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.p. at the college football field.

Nichols head football coach Kevin Loney will be the site manager for the camp The following local high schools will be participating: Auburn, Bartlett, Bay Path, Northbridge, Oxford, Shepherd Hill, Southbridge, and Tantasqua Regional.

Bartlett head football coach Dane Laboissonniere will also be on hand as an instructor. “The camp is put on by the NFL and the Army National Guard. It is completely free for the kids. There is also a 7-on-7 tournament associated with the camp. The winning team from the camp gets to go to Gillette Stadium and if you win at Gillette you get to represent New England down in Florida in a national 7-on-7 tournaments.”

The NFL High School Player Development program addresses challenges facing high school football programs across the country, focusing primarily on underserved communities.  HSPD serves as a free resource for both high school player and coaches.  The program emphasizes safety and concussion awareness, character development and life skills, and football fundamentals.

"Super Power Thingies" partners in crime Michelle Williams and Lauren Puishys

Michelle Williams:  The undisputed leader of the Oxford Pirates “Super Power Thingies,” field hockey star Michelle Williams will be attending Bryant College in the fall and told me this past week that she plans on being a walk-on at the Division 1 Field Hockey team camp.  We can’t imagine that they will not be delighted having a 32-goal scorer who led her team to an 18-0 season show up out of the blue!

Williams said it will be sad leaving school but at the same time, she is excited “to go to college and start a whole new experience and be grown up finally.”

As for the “Super Power Thingies” who played field hockey together since the eighth grade, she said, “It’s going to be rough leaving them, but we will be seeing each other.”  Linda Tron will be attending Assumption, Kayde McCarthy is headed to Salem State, and Lauren Puishys continues a family tradition and is Worcester Poly Tech bound. All will be playing field hockey in college.

Shepherd Hill Rams hoop star Brooke Packard and her Dad Charlton Middle School Principal Dean Packard

Brooke Packard: We caught up with Shepherd Hill basketball all-star Brooke Packard last week while she was checking out her younger sister Abbey’s moves on the tennis court. Packard, who is only a sophomore at the Hill, and already has a superior hoop game, has been fine-tuning her skills in the AAU with her team “the Frenzy” out of Mt. Holyoke.

Packard praised her former teammate and Central Mass player-of-the-year Meghan Fornaro, called her a “great captain” and said that the Rams “are hoping for an even better season next year.”  She said that she was “very proud” after being named a Central Mass all-star this past year.

For all you up and comers, Packard started playing basketball at five years old and has been playing year around ever since.  Maybe that is why she is regarded as one of the best defenders in Central Mass. The Rams are in fine hands with Abbey leading the way.

Assumption College Indians: The Bartlett trio of Alicia Garamy, Meghan Dwyer, and Kellie Powers are all heading to Assumption College in the fall.  What’s ironic is that three Bartlett boys’ stars, Nick Kobel, Rocco DiStefano, and Arthur “AJ” Hackenson, will be doing the same as they all head to Springfield College in September. Apparently they come and go in threes!

Game(s) Of The Week: It’s always fun when Bartlett and Shepherd Hill get together and that’s the case today as the baseball, softball, and tennis teams all play each other!

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any sports news that you would like to see in The View!