Athletes of the Week: McAlister & Rand

Weyessa 'Ace' McAlister
Monument Mountain

It has been a busy fall for the Spartans senior. In addition to winning two of the first three high school events on the county cross country circuit (and finishing second in the other), Ace McAlister squeezed in an apperance at the Josh Billings Run Aground team triathlon, where he helped his team to a sixth-place finish.

Last spring, he led the Monument Mountain track and field team to a first-place showing at the Western Massachusetts Central/West Division 2 Championships. This season, he decided to add cross country to his repertoire.

"It's been better," he said after winning at Mount Greylock a few weeks ago. "I like it better than track, actually. Up the hill, down the hill, you get energy back going down the hill."

Last week, McAlister showed a lot of energy setting a course record on the Spartans' home course in Great Barrington.

Charlotte Rand
Mount Greylock

Mount Greylock junior goalkeeper Charlotte Rand has helped the Mounties to a 7-3 record and a four-game winning streak. One big win in that stretch was a 2-0 decision over Hoosac Valley that was a 1-0 game until the final minute of play.

Rand was credited with nine saves in the contest and faced a barrage from the Hurricanes in the closing minutes before Mount Greylock was able to get an insurance goal.

Rand's coach, Tom Ostheimer, said that as impressive as the saves as Rand's command of the 18-yard box.

"Anything that was bouncing, and she had a little time to come out on it, she was there," Ostheimer said.

iBerkshires Sports and Capital Region Honda Dealers, including Bedard Honda in Cheshire, will be spotlighting two Berkshire County high school athletes each week, a boy and a girl, who best excelled in their sport or boosted their teams' efforts.