Klepacki, Sulda Reach Milestone

Girls’ basketball captain Alyssa Klepacki, and boys’ basketball captain Mat Sulda both reached a serious milestone of their athletic high school careers. Both scored their thousandth career points of varsity basketball during this 2011-2012 season.

On Friday, January 27, 2012 Alyssa Klepacki was joined by her family, friends, and many members of our community to celebrate her great accomplishment. Alyssa became the 20th player to join the thousand point club of Smith Academy. “It was kind of nerve-racking and hard to focus on my warm-up because I was so nervous and excited,” Alyssa said of the evening.  The moment came towards the end of the third quarter and the crowd immediately erupted into shouts and tears of happiness. Alyssa described how thankful she was for the, “huge support system cheering her on and making the moment so exciting.” Scoring a thousand points was a huge moment in Alyssa’s athletic career and she confirms “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and everyone who supports me.”

On Monday, February 6, 2012 junior Matthew Sulda became part of the history of Smith Academy when he scored his thousandth career point of varsity basketball. So many members of his family, school, and our community as a whole joined him in the celebration. Mat said, “I wasn’t really nervous because I took it as just another game.” His composure paid off when he scored his thousandth point in the first quarter. Immediately Mat felt such a burst of happiness thinking, “It was really cool to join a family legacy.” Though Mat feels completely honored he assured me, “I would take a Western Mass. Championship any day.” This is a true testament to Mat’s character, love for the sport, and dedication to his team.

Congratulations to Alyssa Klepacki and Mat Sulda!