Dan Wesson '18 helped bring the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Riflery program to heights not seen in decades.
On April 24 , Dan was officially rewarded.
With his coach and teammates in attendance, along with his family, Dan signed his National Letter of Intent to attend and shoot for Division I Wofford College in South Carolina.
"'I think the (Wofford) team is going to be good," Dan said. "I'm excited to sign a National Letter of Intent. It's a big milestone for me."
"It's been a pleasure to have Dan on the team," Coach Bill Passy added. "I've been lucky to have him for four years, two years as an assistant coach and two years as a head coach. The hard work he put in has shown at the range and in the classroom. He's been an all-state performer for two years and he'll do fine at Wofford, I'm sure."
For a photo gallery of the signing, click here.
For a video of the signing, click here.
Dan was a member of the team as a freshman. His interest and love for the sport grew his sophomore season, largely due to a suggestion from John Lombard, who coached the team for that school year.
"My sophomore year, Mr. Lombard introduced to me Dave Lyman (a 1974 graduate of WMA)," Dan explained. "I shot club for him at Blue Trail Range and I went on a trip to Ohio State and saw what shooting was like in college. I kind of made the decision I wanted to shoot in college. That sparked me and got me to where I am today."
Today, Dan shoots at an extraordinarily high level for a high school student. He matched the school record for a match score with a 198 (of 200), and he had a high score of 196 when the team set a school record with 966 points (of 1,000) for a single match. Also, Dan led the program to consecutive undefeated seasons and two-straight Connecticut High School League Shoot-Off titles.
"I knew we were going to have a good team junior year," Dan said. "Everything came together and we started shooting well at the beginning of the season. Everything fell into place. It was a very exciting two seasons and I'm glad I ended my career here on a good note."
"He has been the team leader of our program," Coach Passy expressed. "He brought the team to levels the team has never seen before. By him working so hard, other kids see that and work as hard as he does. They go to him for advice on shooting. He's a leader. It's great to see."