Mount Greylock's College-Bound Athletes in Spotlight

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Mount Greylock senior Elizabeth Dupras has the talent to get the attention of college track and field coaches and the inside knowledge to point her to the right collegiate program.

 

“I talked to [my cousin] before I even know that I wanted to run track, and I asked him how the team was, the atmosphere, and he had nothing but good things to say,” Dupras said Tuesday after participating in a ceremony honoring five Mounties who plan to take their game to the next level this fall.

 

Dupras’ cousin, Chris Shannon of Westwood, is a senior at Providence College who last month set a school record in the javelin (63.51 meters) while finishing third at the Big East Championships.

 

“He mentioned me to the coach a few times and has been helping me through the whole process,” Dupras said. “He is a star on their team right now. He just broke the school record in the jav, so I have high expectations to live up to. So we will see.

 

“But it’s definitely been helpful to have him there to sort of guide me through the process.”

 

The college admission process and the athletic recruiting process has been good to Dupras and a number of her classmates who shared the dais in the school’s auditorium on Tuesday.

 

Joining her in signing some form of celebratory letter from his or her respective college of joice were: Delaney Babcock, who is headed to Union College to play basketball; Jordyn Codding, bound for Hudson Valley Community College to play softball; Jack Gitterman, a baseball commit at Stevenson University; and Charlotte Sanford, who will play tennis at William Smith College.

 

Dupras said she always knew she wanted to continue competing at some level in college, even if it was intramurals or club sports. But when she visited the Rhode Island school, she knew that it and its Division I track program were for her.

 

“I went to visit last year, and I’d been looking at other schools in the area within three hours-ish of my house,” she said. “But once I stepped on campus, it was beautiful. All of the kids were so, so nice. Their athletic facilities were amazing. Everything about it seemed like home.”

 

Dupras said she had been thinking about competing collegiately in the 400 meters and 400 hurdles at college, but the current spring season has opened new doors.

 

“I wasn’t really thinking 100 hurdles,” she said. “But I had a great race at Pittsfield (16.39 seconds). I guess I’m having a great season. So we will see what happens with that. I have broken the qualifying time in the 200, so I’m hoping that can get me in. I wasn’t actually expecting to run the 200, but I guess that’s how it’s working out.”

 

Mount Greylock Athletic Director emceed Tuesday’s event, which included comments from each student-athlete’s coach about their contributions at the school.

 

“Jack is a three-year varsity player who has brought so much in that time,” Mount Greylock baseball coach Rick Paris said of Gitterman. “Jack is a very hard worker who was selected captain for good reason. He has shown great leadership qualities while mentoring the younger players.”

 

Mounties softball coach Mark Pierson also pointed to Codding’s leadership of a young squad.

 

“Jordyn has been a true captain for the team,” Pierson said. “She has helped me daily teach the young players the fundamentals they need to play varsity. Jordyn has also helped me as a first-year varsity coach to acclimate to the demands of the position.”

 

Veteran Mount Greylock coach John Jaccobe sees two of his team captains, Babcock and Sanford, move on to play the sport each played for him in high school.

 

“Charlotte has been a part of the girls tennis program since seventh grade and has been a captain since her sophomore year,” Jacobbe said of Sanford. “Charlotte is one of the most consistent tennis players in Berkshire County, and her consistent play will be her strength as she joins the William Smith tennis program.

 

 

Babcock, who averaged a double-double in points and rebounds for Mount Greylock this winter, helped lead the program to the Western Massachusetts tournament as a junior.

 

“Delaney is a well rounded player who can handle the ball, and is a rare player who can play both inside and outside the paint,” Jacobbe said. “This versatility will suit her well playing at Union next year.”

 

Babcock and Dupras are among three student-athletes in Mount Greylock’s Class of 2021 who earned 12 varsity letters in their high school careers. Despite having lost the entire spring 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each played four sports this year, taking advantage of the “Fall 2” season wedged between winter and spring.

 

Codding also showed dedication to high school sports. She was the only senior member of the softball program to return for the COVID-shortened ‘21 campaign.

 

“I think it’s definitely really important knowing that I’ve been a softball player for going on seven, eight years now,” Codding said. “It’s definitely a big part of my life. And, being a senior, you make some of your best memories on the field with your teammates as a high schooler. It’s where you find some of your best friends. So it was definitely something I wasn’t willing to miss out on.”