Congratulations to this week’s Athletes of the Week!
Girls Varsity Soccer: Annie Ilsley ‘18
Annie Ilsley is the Girls Varsity Soccer Athlete of the Week. Annie earned her first assist of the season at Exeter. Annie is a dedicated teammate, she is always ready to learn as much as possible while giving her best effort in practice every day. We look forward to more assists and goals from her this season. Thanks, Annie!
JV Volleyball: Steph Martinez ‘20
Steph came up from the thirds team as a setter and is quickly learning a very difficult 6-2 rotation. As the setter, her role on the court is very important. She’s brought great leadership to the team and is a fantastic communicator with her teammates on the court. Steph has really stepped up to learn how to become a better setter.
Girls Cross Country: Grace Russell ‘21
The athlete of the week for Girls’ Cross Country is 9th grader Grace Russell of Cambridge, MA. Grace, having been sidelined with a sore leg and a cold virus, has finally emerged from her racing torpor with a stunning victory in the JV race at the Miller Invitational this past weekend at the Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. Starting the race with a tremendous maturity and patience, Grace, starting around 10th at the 800m mark, moved up slowly but surely to eventually share the lead over the second half of the race with teammate 10th grade standout Esme Benjamin. Benjamin, running bravely to the front right from the report of the starter’s pistol, spread the field out with a hard-charging pace in the first mile loop. Eventually, the Russell-Benjamin duo dove down the steep forested hills of the Westminster campus, looping around lower level fields and trails and returning back up the mountainous final mile. As they reappeared to the many waiting fans, Benjamin had a slight lead, but Russell was doggedly hanging tough. The finish included a final 300m semi-lap on the Westminster track, and it was there that Russell, still lagging behind Benjamin, made her move. With a kick like no other seen this season, Russell powered into first and gapped Benjamin by 8 seconds to win in 22:31, to Benjamin’s still mightily impressive second place performance of 22:40. To put the races of these two young ladies into perspective, both girls would have finished in the top twenty of the varsity race; such was the dominance of the Big Green JV that day.
Reserve Field Hockey: Janis Chen ’20
Janice has been nothing but stellar at goalkeeper this week and all season. This weekend in particular, she had 23 saves within 24 hours. Time and time again, she came up with the big saves to keep us in the game, but more than that, Janice has been patient and supportive of her teammates that are just learning the game. Even when a defender makes a mistake, Janice is there to make the save and to offer support to her teammates. A leader, a team player and a friend–Janice is deserving of Athlete of the week.
Boys Water Polo: Ryan Safiry ’19
Ryan rallied his inexperienced teammates around him in two JV water polo contests in the past week. Playing with composure and confidence, he demonstrated resilient leadership, especially when the odds of victory seemed long.
Boys Cross Country: Seth Thayumanavan ’20
The Boys Cross Country athlete of the week this week is Seth Thayumanavan ’20. Seth had a huge breakthrough race at the Westminster invitational on Saturday, bettering his time from last year on that tough course by more than three minutes. Most importantly, Seth raced expertly, marshalling his energy throughout the race and leaving just enough at the end for a vicious kick that saw him pass a gaggle of other runners. Way to go, Seth!
Varsity Field Hockey: Ali Fujiyoshi ‘19
The varsity field hockey player of the week is Ali Fujiyoshi ’19. Ali’s versatility and work-ethic make her a standout player on our team. She is a smart, humble player who leads by example, setting the tone in practice and in games with her intensity and humility. She is well-respected by her teammates and coaches and we greatly appreciate her commitment to success. We look forward to Ali’s stellar play and leadership for the remainder of the season. Congrats Fuj!
Varsity Football: Keegan McHugh ‘18
Keegan McHugh is the athlete of the week for the football team. Keegan ’18 is a post graduate running back and safety from Bel Air, MD. He has been an impact player for the football team in every game this season and led the way to a 26-0 victory over Hotchkiss. Keegan scored 3 touchdowns including a 73 yard run on the second play of the game. Keegan is definitely a player to watch for the Big Green this season.
Boys Junior B Soccer: Rob Sawyers ‘21
Rob Sawyers ’21 is the athlete of the week for Boys Junior B Soccer. Rob was all over the field in our game against Suffield. In addition to scoring, he peppered the goal with shots and was instrumental in controlling the ball in the midfield. Thanks to Rob’s efforts, the ball rarely crossed the midfield line and Deerfield was able to control the run of play. Congrats Rob!
Boys Junior A Soccer: James Whitely ‘20 and Tommy Gilmore ‘20
James Whitley ’20 was instrumental in the backline for the Big Green in their 0-0 tie against Cardigan. He was excellent on defense, coming up with stop after stop from Cardigan forwards. James will look to continue his effort on Saturday when the team travels to take on Wilbraham.
On the offensive side, Tommy Gilmore ’20 provided the spark that the team needed against Cardigan. Throughout the entirety of the game, Tommy made many great runs ending solid offensive chances.
Go Big Green!