Congratulations to this week’s Athletes of the Week!
Reserve Field Hockey: Ally Kell ’20, Annie Brown ’21 & Mary Blake Zeron ’21
These three are awarded Athletes of the Week for their sportsmanship, commitment and sacrifice. After a stretch of 5 games of their own in 7 days, including three in one week, these three players volunteered to help out a JV team who did not have enough players to field a team. After playing a hard game on Friday, they sacrificed their own free time and volunteered to travel to St. Paul’s (on an 8-hour travel day) to help out the JV team. Their willingness to step right up to contribute their time and effort to help the field hockey program is commendable and certainly makes them worthy of being named Athletes of the Week!
JV Volleyball: Julia Ferrante ‘20
Julia Ferrante was nominated for JV Volleyball AOTW for her performance against St. Paul’s on October 7. Julia played the second set of the game and made critical returns to keep us in the game. She brings effort and enthusiasm to the court and is a great member of the team. Keep up the great work, Julia!
Varsity Field Hockey: Meredith Heaney ‘19
When you are having a tough day and practice feels uphill, or when you are down a goal and needing that extra bit to motivate you, its always helpful to have someone on your team that can raise the level of play, inspire you to play hard, and show you what relentless effort and heart yields on the field. Meredith Heaney is this teammate and to watch her practice or play is exciting and motivating. She brings the game at a different level, always learning, and always trying new things to improve her understanding and her skill. On a fast turf, she is nearly unbeatable in the midfield and her shots on goal from the top of the circle can make other goalies wince. She is an incredible player, but also a great teammate and has helped lead our team through the early part of this season. Often doubled from the start of the game, she has learned this year how to stay poised when pressed and be creative with her options when doubled. The coaches are really excited with her level of play this October. Congrats, Meredith!
Varsity Girls Soccer: Emma Reavis ‘19
Emma Reavis is the girls varsity soccer Athlete of the Week. This week Emma provided great energy throughout practice and in both of our games, she worked tirelessly to create offensive opportunities for the Big Green. On Wednesday, in our game against NMH, her hard work was rewarded as she scored her first goal of the season. The coaches look forward to Emma continuing to provide great enthusiasm, urgency and intensity for the team for rest of the season. Great job, Emma!
Boys Water Polo: Owen Louis ‘19
Having committed to daily improvement as a JV player for the last two years, Owen Louis ’19 had prepared well for the moment he became a starter on the varsity squad. Possession by possession, he strives to make the little plays, whether that means making himself available for an outlet pass on offense or alertly executing a coverage switch on defense. Fans may not see Owen’s name in the box score, but his comrades know his contributions make a difference in the team’s results. Keep up the great work, Owen!
Varsity Volleyball: Georgia Quesnelle ‘19
Georgia Quesnelle is the varsity volleyball athlete of the week. One of our co-captains this season, Georgia has been a strong leader for the varsity volleyball team since the first day of tryouts. She brings her A-game to every practice and match. A tough server, quick defender, and high-flying attacker, she’s an unstoppable triple threat! This past week, her steady and confident play helped us secure the “W” at Williston and kept us composed during a tough third set against St. Paul’s. She sets the pace for us, and her constant effort and encouragement on and off the court are truly appreciated. Keep it up Georgia!!
Boys Cross Country: Will McNamara ‘18
Boys XC’s athlete of the week is Will McNamara ’18. One of our captains, Will led the team to a decisive win over St. Paul’s on Saturday, thanks to his disciplined and tactical racing. The race unfolded slowly, with a very casual first mile, which put the pressure on Will in the final two miles to attack aggressively to put himself in position to win. He did just that, winning the race in strong fashion and setting a tone for our whole team to follow as we enter the dual meet portion of our season. If we all race like Will did on Saturday, we will be in good shape in all of our subsequent meets.
Boys Junior A Soccer: Jared Faux ‘20
Jared is the Boys Junior A Soccer athlete of the week. Jared scored two goals, including the game winner, against WMA this past weekend. The game winner was a steal of an attempted clear after which Jared beat the last defender and the goalie to break a 1-1 tie. He later knocked home a rebound to seal the victory. The coaches are excited to see Jared continue this hard work the rest of the season.
Girls Cross Country: Sophia Genender ‘20
Sophia Genender finished her first full race for Deerfield on Saturday at St. Paul’s. Charging out at the start with a competitive spirit and fire in her eyes, the cross country novice leaped over runners who have been training above her level and took on the St. Paul’s course and team with reckless abandon. Paying the price after the first two miles, Sophia struggled to maintain her composure, but, sticking to her guns, she managed to pull herself through a tough, defining moment in her life. For this, and for staying positive in her first year in cross country and Deerfield, Sophia is the athlete of the week.
Boys Football: Niko Kvietkus ‘18
The athlete of the week for the Varsity Football team is Niko Kvietkus. Niko has been a force on both the offensive and defensive lines for DA this season. His effort and physical play helped to dismantle a very powerful Worcester Academy offensive attack. Niko is a Post Graduate captain elect who has made an immediate impact for the Big Green. Niko is a guy to keep an eye on the rest of this season.
Go Big Green!