Athletes of the Week: Shepard & Tobin

Tyler Shepard
Lenox

There have been plenty of high school basketball players who have scored more than the 10 points Tyler Shepard scored on Wednesday against Lee. But in a gritty, defensive 47-44 game, Shepard's points were a big factor in the Millionaires' win over their rivals to the south.

"Tyler Shepard played like a man tonight," Lenox senior Patrick Colvin marveled after Shepard, a junior, scored nine points in the second half of the Millionaires' comeback win.

On most nights, Colvin is THE man for Lenox. But Shepard has been more of a weapon of late for a team that knows its Western Mass tournament opponents will be keying on Colvin.

"Shep is a good kid, he's a junior, he's one we've been relying on more and more," Lenox coach Scott Sibley said. "We know teams are going to start taking awayPatrick as much as they can, and [Shepard's] probably our next second option in most cases.

"It's nice when he can come through for us. He's a great kid. Comes in every day and works hard. He rebounds the ball well. He has a nice outside shot. He'll do everything we tell him and never complains. He's just a great kid to have on our team."


Jessie Tobin
St. Joseph

It was no surprise that St. Joseph Central School junior Jessie Tobin was among the top Berkshire County performers at the MiAA Division 1 Swimming Championships.

But she was a little surprised with just how well she did.

"I wasn't expecting to go a faster time in the 200 free," Tobin said this week. "That was a pleasant surprise."

Tobin touched the wall in 1 minute, 55.54 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle, good enough for a third-place finish. It was 1.26 seconds better than her 1:56.80 seed time in the event.

She was at a loss to explain just how she managed it.

"I don't know," she said. "I was really relaxed. At Western Mass, I was a little more nervous. … Definitely the expectation level was different. I wasn't expecting to win at states."

When she popped up out of the water and saw her time, she knew she had surpassed her own expectations.

"It was exciting," she said. "I've been struggling to break 1:57 since sophomore year. I did a 1:56 at Western Mass and then to go 1:55 was great."

Tobin finished third in the 500 free, taking more than 5 seconds off her seed time and finishing in 5:06.23.

She also swam on a pair of St. Joe relays, one of which, the 200 medley relay, placed 11th in the state.

After collecting her medals at states, she plunged right back into training for the U.S.A. Swimming sectionals in two weeks in Florida, where she will compete for her club team.