Congratulations to this week’s Athletes of the Week!
Boys Junior A Soccer: Alex Strait ‘20
One or our steadiest defenders, Alex turned in two excellent games last week. He was strong in our loss to Westminster, contributing both defensively and offensively in our comeback effort. He completely shut down his side of the field against Eaglebrook on Parents’ weekend, and was excellent in distributing balls from the back line to start our offensive rushes.
JV Volleyball: Izzy McDonald ’20 and Abby Persons ‘21
The JV Volleyball Athletes of the week are Izzy McDonald and Abby Persons. In Saturday’s game against Exeter, the team was led by the skill of Izzy McDonald and the spirit of Abby Persons to hold off Exeter and win 3-1. Izzy is a key player on the court, always giving 100% and expecting the same of her teammates. She is able to play under pressure and make critical plays. On or off the court, Abby leads the team in positivity and communication. In the fourth and final set of the Exeter match, even with the gym packed with cheering students and parents, Abby could be heard over all other voices yelling, “we got this”. Thanks to the contributions of Izzy and Abby, we did have it and pulled off an exciting and well-earned win. Thank you Izzy and Abby!
Girls Cross Country: Jazmine Ramos ‘20 & Acy Cai ‘20
Jazmine Ramos ’20 and Acy Cai ’20 both raced to massive personal bests during their efforts against Phillips Exeter on Saturday. Each girl ran personal records by over two minutes! For this they are co-athletes of the week for Girls’ Varsity Cross Country.
Varsity Field Hockey: Liv Mikesell ‘20
Coming off of a tough last-minute loss to Westminster school on Wednesday, Liv Mikesell ’20 came to practice ready to improve and become even more dynamic in goal. On Thursday and Friday in practice, Liv worked hard to step to the ball, cut off passes and be more aggressive in the defensive circle. This clearly paid off, as she was able to come up with two huge saves against Taft on Saturday that were game deciders. On two separate occasions, Taft’s speedy left wing got ahead of our last defensive line before and Liv quickly sprinted out of the goal and stuffed her, giving our team the confidence and momentum that we needed moving forward. It has been impressive to watch Liv’s growth in the past year and a half that she has been playing field hockey, and we look forward to her continued improvement, intensity and leadership out on the field.
Boys JV Water Polo: Marwan Gedeon Achi ‘21
In recent JV polo contests, Marwan Gedeon Achi ’21 played with relentlessness on defense, often catching up to an opponent to stop a counterattack or harassing an offensive player into making a poor pass. As a young player, Marwan is well on his way to developing a sense for the game.
Boys Cross Country: Marco Marsans ‘18
The Boys Cross Country athlete of the week is Marco Marsans ’18. One of our co-captains, Marco came through the two-mile mark of our race against Exeter in good position but amidst a pack of Exeter runners. To win the meet, the team needed Marco to break that pack up and finish as close as possible to their number one runner, and thanks to a bold move with a mile to go, Marco did just that. Finishing in a personal record time, Marco’s decisive move set the tone for our team on the way to a big team win.
Girls Varsity Soccer: Mae Emerson ’19 & Bailey Cheetham ‘19
Mae Emerson ‘19 and Bailey Cheetham ’19 are this week’s girls varsity soccer Athletes of the Week. Mae has been a defensive leader for the Big Green this season. In a week, where we faced tough opponents and fast forwards, Mae rose to the challenge and has done so for the entire season, improving from week-to-week. Also, over the course of the season, Mae has become a vocal presence in our backline. She is a competitor and gritty defender. We look forward to Mae’s continued impact throughout the final weeks of our season! Thanks, Mae!
Bailey always gives you a 110% effort and does it with a smile on her face. Bailey is consistently matched up against opponents in the midfield who have a sizable height advantage, but this does not matter, as Bailey will out hustle any opponent she faces. Bailey makes plays all over the field from her tenacious defending and her quickness to spark our attack. Wherever the ball is on the field, Bailey is not far away. Great work, Bailey!
Varsity Football: Jack Bill ‘19
The Varsity Football Team’s Athlete of the Week for the Philips Exeter game is Jack Bill ’19. Jack is a dynamic offensive thread who, at Quarterback, led Deerfield to its highest offensive scoring output of the season. Jack threw for three touchdowns and kept the team on pace for 42 points, all of which were scored in the first half. Jack has been a dynamic player this fall for the Big Green and is definitely someone to watch as the team gets ready to play a tough Andover team this Sunday.
Go Big Green!