Danbury Westerners shortstop Mike Olt may be having the best week ever.

Olt was named the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s co-player of the week, and celebrated by winning the league’s Home Run Derby with 11 blasts.

Olt, a freshman at UConn, is doing everything he can to get the Westerners in the playoff picture. His week consisted of a .429 average with 12 hits including 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 13 RBIs. He also had a stolen base.

And in the NECBL All-Star Game at Torrington on Sunday, he also hit a 2-run homer in the game that lifted the South to a 5-2 win.

This summer, Olt posts a .294 batting average in a team-high 31 games played. He currently leads the Westerners with 126 at-bats, 27 runs scored, 37 hits, eight doubles, six homeruns and 30 RBIs. Entering his sophomore year at UConn, Olt has led the Westerners with a .516 slugging percentage and a .348 on-base percentage, while also picking up 41 putouts and 78 assists.

By Thomas Michael

Running late for football practice after an interview with a local newspaper, former New Canaan lineman Steve Johnson acquired the nickname “Hollywood” from several teammates in his final season as a Rams.

Although Johnson won’t be traveling to the west coast, track and field fame may be in his future as he heads to the University of Connecticut this fall.

“I’m very excited,” Johnson said. “I’m totally undecided on what I want to do. I know that I want to help people. I’m leaning towards pre-med or pre-kinesiology.”

Academics aside, Johnson also plans to continue in track and shot-put. Setting a record for himself in shot-put of 52-feet, 9-inches in the State Open, Johnson placed second in the state and fifth in New England. Yet, he has always felt that he could improve his game.

“In college I’m going to work on getting mentally focused,” he said. “It’s going to take a majority of the time at UConn so I probably won’t do any club sports.”

Still, Johnson has played a variety of sports throughout his athletic career.

“I played soccer and baseball when I was a kid and I tried lacrosse but didn’t like it,” he said. “When I was in ninth grade I did track and hurdles. I was awful.”

Johnson also did wrestling and played football in high school but found his niche throwing the shot-put.

“What makes a good shot-putter is long arms. If you’re lanky it’s better,” Johnson said. “Sophomore year I didn’t do bad but I wasn’t that good. And then I kept on lifting. Junior year I really came out of my shell and I got sixth in FCIAC. Then I kept on lifting and here I am today.”

Johnson received the coveted Sikorsky Award at the senior athletics picnic this past spring for his accomplishments.

“I felt really honored to get it because it was such a great payoff,” Johnson said. “It’s a really prestigious award.”

Selected to play for the Fairfield County All-Star football team, Johnson dropped out in order to avoid injury before heading off to do Division I track in college.

In the meantime before setting off to school, Johnson works out for about 90 minutes each day in between working at the Waveny Park Pool snack bar and spending time with his friends. He also plans on shot-putting with several athletes from Danbury.

“I’m just trying to be focused on staying close to my friends and trying to make some good memories before I go [to school],” Johnson said.

Many people attending the 47th Annual JCC Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Classic wanted to see what UConn-bound Heather Buck could do on the court. But it was a future college rival from Stamford who stole the show.

Trinity Catholic star Da’Shena Stevens, who is heading to St. Johns, stole the show with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks, three assists, and three steals in the West team’s 99-73 win in Bridgeport on April 12.

Buck did pump in 14 to pace the East, but Stevens showed why she was heavily recruited as well.

“I’ve just grown over the years, whether it was with leadership or whether it was developing my game more,” Stevens said. “I really enjoyed my high school career, I’ve been through so much with my team, and my teammates have been there for me.”

Though Buck spent most of her time covered by AAU rival and future UConn track athlete, Notre Dame-Fairfield’s Candace Williams, Stevens did get a chance to take in the Southington star’s performance.

“She’s a great player,” Stevens said. “She plays tough, but I think we both did.”

Westhill senior Jess Williams, who will play next season at Division II Southern Connecticut, received the Ken Lieberman Hustle Award for her performance. Williams had a game-high 21 points.