Congratulations this week’s Athletes of the Week! Thank you for your efforts and contributions to your teams.
JrB Boys Soccer: Peter Marchese, 9th grader
Peter Marchese is out athlete of the week, for stepping up in goal on Saturday after our top two keepers got injured and preserving the shutout.
Varsity Girls Soccer: Ali Dougal, 11th grader
Ali was a positive presence and a tireless worker at Taft on Saturday. She accepted each challenge offered with a quick smile and a shake of her head; determined to enter the game to make a difference. Throughout the season, Ali has consistently held herself to extremely high standards and she has lead by example.
JV Boys Soccer: Will Dale, 10th grader
Under heavy pressure from a physical and athletic Exeter team, Will came up big again and again: on breakaways, on serves into the box, and on shots from close range. Poised, resourceful and smart, Will has made excellent contributions to the team this entire season.
Varsity Field Hockey: Meredith Heaney, 10th grader
Meredith Heaney plays with the skills and know-how of a veteran player. She commanded the midfield this week with speed and confidence, able to out maneuver defenders and deceive her opponents with carefully placed pulls and strong passes. On Wednesday, she scored Deerfield’s lone goal against Westminster, and her ability to carry the ball through the midfield, helped make the team’s 2-1 win at Taft on Saturday possible. She is a rising leader on our field.
Varsity Boys Soccer: Luke Crimmins, PG
This week’s boys varsity soccer athlete of the week goes to Luke Crimmins. After starting the year as one of our goal keepers, Luke was recently cleared to return to play as a field player and had a big impact in both of our games last week. What was most impressive is that Luke scored on his first varsity touch of the season after a long throw in from George Fair ’17 found him open at the back post. This past Saturday, Crimmins delivered a long throw in of his own that set up the game winning score for Chad Haggerty ’17. Luke’s willingness to help the team succeed whether it be playing as a keeper or on the field embodies what it means to be a team first athlete.
Varsity Girls Cross-Country: Lilly Shuhda, 10th grader
Lilly Shuhda made a major comeback to her earlier fitness level following a hip soreness that kept her from racing, and her timing was impeccable. The tenth grader crushed Exeter’s flat 5k course, finishing as the fourth Deerfield runner and tenth over all. She ran a mature, confident race, starting strong but really playing her cards later in the race as she passed runner after runner along the soaking wet New Hampshire fields and woods. Lilly has been an incredibly mature and patient athlete during her convalescence, figuring out a recipe that works for her and sticking with it, adding volume when she could, and backing off when she needed. She improved on her time from her last race by a minute and has put the other NEPSTA teams on notice that she is back and ready to bolster the Big Green Girls’ XC program. Go Lilly!
Boys Varsity Water Polo: Bobby Meyer, 12th grader & Nolen Rockefeller, 11th grader
Though the outcomes against Exeter were decided, both Bobby Meyer and Nolen Rockefeller played hard to the last second. In extending their efforts they prepared for the challenging contests ahead of them.
Varsity Football: Justin Rivers, 12th grader
Senior running back Justin Rivers ’17 carried the heavy load of the running game for the day and was the Big Green’s player of the day for his efforts in moving the chains and picking up crucial first downs.
JV Volleyball: Netanya Jimenez, 9th grader
In our game against Exeter, we were down a setter and although she was hesitant at first Netanya stepped up to play the position. Where she usually plays as a back row player, it was a bit of a challenge for her but she played her hardest and made some beautiful sets/assists for her teammates to get a kill. With that being said, she has been working very hard to improve all positions as well. Thanks Nat!
Thirds Volleyball: Rachel Penner, 10th grader
Rachel Penner is the thirds VB player of the week! Rachel is one of our 2 captains. This past Saturday Rachel played back to back games not complaining once about her hand which she had injured earlier that morning. Determined to play and lead her team Rachel kept her injury to herself, she did not draw attention to her injured hand but instead lead the team with serve returns and points earned. It is Rachel’s leadership and her desire to put her team first that has earned her player of the week for thirds volleyball.
Varsity Boys Cross-Country: Hughes Benjamin, 12th grader
Our athlete of the week is Hughes Benjamin ’17. Hughes was asked to run an aggressive race strategy on Saturday at Exeter despite terrible weather conditions. He executed the plan perfectly and took a big step forward in terms of achieving his goals for the season. More importantly, after the race, Hughes put the needs of the team well ahead of his own interests and kept his teammates focused on supporting each other, supporting the girls’ team, and concluding their racing day in fine Deerfield fashion, despite the challenging conditions and long travel. He led us in every sense on Saturday.