Athletes of the Week: Fuller & Wilber

Shane Fuller
McCann Tech

The McCann Tech boys basketball team has won five games in a row, and it is getting contributions from a variety of places. But Fuller has been a constant in the Hornets' program for years, and the senior stepped up in the team's last two wins — by a total of eight points — against quality opponents.

Fuller scored 10 in a three-point win on the road at Holyoke Catholic. And he had 17 despite an injury to his hand on Tuesday against Franklin Tech. Tuesday's win gives McCann a 12-4 record and a 12-1 mark in the Tri-County League with four games left.

Maeve Wilber
Monument Mountain

Maeve Wilber said she was a little overprepared for her swim at last weekend's Western Mass Championships.

"Once coach sent [the comparative times] to us, I could not stop looking at them," she said. "It was bad. I should have kept it a secret and not looked at it. Sometimes it helps to know what I'm up against. ... But sometimes it's easier to not know. It can psyche you out."

Somehow, Wilber overcame the psyching out and the rest of the field to win a sectional title in the 100-yard backstroke at Springfield College. The Connecticut College-bound Wilber also qualified for the state meet in the individual medley and swam legs on two Western Mass champion relays for the Spartans. Wilber said she had confidence going into the meet because she was familiar with the venue from YMCA meets and felt it was a fast pool. She also credited Monument coach Jill Svirida with helping her enter the meet in peak form.

"We spent a lot of time working on the little things," Wilber said. "She knows I can swim. I know I can swim. There were just some of the little things like turns and finishers that were not where I wanted them to be. We were focusing on the little, teeny things that make a difference."

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.