Wells, LaFreniere Earn Athlete of Week Honors

This week's iBerkshires.com/Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Athletes of Week turned in a pair of dominating performance on Saturday.

 

Taconic senior wrestler Mike LaFreniere made short work of the competition at the Taconic Invitational.

 

In his first match at 132 pounds, he pinned his opponent in just 15 seconds. He then ended his next two matches in 1:16 and 1:06.

 

Finally, his opponent from Franklin Tech took LaFreniere out of the first period in the tournament final. In fact, their title bout went the distance, but LaFreniere came out on top with a 7-0 win to help Taconic place third in a competitive field.

 

LaFreniere was one of just four wrestlers from the county to earn titles at Saturday's event.

 

Last winter, he helped Taconic go all the way to a Division 3 State Championship, placing third at 132 at the state meet.

 

Mount Greylock junior Jacqueline Wells helped the Mounties repeat as state Nordic champions last year as a sophomore.

 

This winter, she off and running with two first-place finishes in the first two Berkshire County Cross Country League races.

 

It was a tight one on Saturday at Notchview Reservation, where Wells finished just 13 seconds ahead of Lenox's Mary Elliot.

 

Elliot, starting from the second wave, crossed the line more than a minute after Wells but on paper, it was closer than that.

 

The fastest skier out of the first wave, other than Wells, once again was Mohawk Trail's Erika Looman, who ended up in fifth place.

 

"It was another awesome week working with Erika, and I always know my teammates are going to be right there," Wells said. "[Looman] always feels strong on the hills, so I knew I just had to work really hard because she's definitely going to be coming."

 

LaFreniere and the Taconic wrestlers are home for a dual meet against Mount Greylock on Wednesday before heading to Taconic Hills, N.Y., for a meet on Saturday.

 

Wells and the Mounties are scheduled to host the Berkshire League on Saturday in Williamstown.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.