Meet this week’s Athletes of the Week. Congratulations!
Varsity Field Hockey: Caroline Skillman ‘19
The varsity field hockey athlete of the week is Caroline Skillman ’19. Caroline has brought a tremendous work ethic and a great attitude to every practice and game this season. She earned a shout out from her coaches and teammates at the end of practice last Thursday because she set the tone in every drill and played some of her best field hockey yet. She is a positive role model for her teammates and an absolute pleasure to coach. We are fortunate to have her on the team and look forward to her contributions throughout the rest of the season!
Girls JV Volleyball: Elena Lu ‘22
The JV volleyball athlete of the week is Elena Lu ’22. In Wednesday’s tough loss to Loomis Chaffee, Elena joined the starting lineup of upper class players in two of the four matches. Despite not playing in all sets, she still led the team with four kills, and she paired that with smart play and quick thinking at the net. A walk-up ninth grader playing volleyball for the first time, Elena has shown quick growth just three weeks into the volleyball season. She demonstrates great instincts and poise in the front row and already poses as a hitting and blocking threat to the opposition. Her commitment to working hard in practice and her quick study have already been paying dividends, and we look forward to seeing the great strides she will make during the year and how they will strengthen the team.
Reserve Field Hockey: Lisa Ito-Bagshaw ’21
Lisa Ito-Bagshaw ’21 has earned Reserve Field Hockey’s Athlete of the week for her exemplary intensity and sportsmanship in this week’s games. She’s played all over the field from defense, to midfield and attack. During an intense game on a very hot and humid Wednesday, Lisa was one of the first to volunteer to substitute into the game at any position when a teammate needed a break.
Lisa also worked hard to execute some excellent plays on both our offensive and defensive corners this week. On Saturday, she broke the ball out of the defensive end while playing fly on a penalty corner and sent the ball up field to her sister, Sara, who scored a 50-yard breakaway goal. In the second half, Lisa was also the inserter on our offensive corners; she sent the ball out to a teammate and got into position to receive it in front of the goal to score her first goal of the season. Her versatile play and hard work stood out this week.
Varsity Volleyball: Natsumi Shindo ’20
For varsity volleyball, this week’s Athlete of the Week is Natsumi Shindo ’20. Natsumi is always the first player at practice, constantly working to improve and challenge herself as she learns a new position. She also seeks out and responds positively to feedback from coaches and other players; she knows that each repetition is an opportunity to improve as a volleyball player and everyone on the team responds to that incredible focus. Congratulations!
Boys Varsity Water Polo: Graham O’Brien ’19
With four starters, including the team’s leading scorers, out of the lineup, senior co-captain Graham O’Brien kept a makeshift squad in the game against St. John’s Prep. Though the team’s fourth-quarter comeback fell shy of victory, Graham excelled in the goal again, making 17 saves. He even blocked a shot on a 1-0 breakaway.
Boys Varsity Cross-Country: J.J. Siritantikorn ’19
Coming off of a head cold, JJ nevertheless turned in his best week of training so far this season and followed that up with a great race at Westminster. A four-year varsity runner, JJ had never finished as Deerfield’s #2 runner in a scored race until Saturday. He took the first mile out aggressively, inserting himself into the lead chase pack and holding on there until the race’s final half-mile. It was a great run for an experienced leader on the XC squad, one that was noticed by his younger teammates for sure!
Girls Reserve Soccer: Lila Nottage ’22
The Girls Reserve Soccer Team’s Athlete of the Week is Lila Nottage. Playing sweep, Lila is a key hinge on the Door’s defense, and her leadership on the field and her effort toward keeping the Big Green Door in front of the net closed has been great.
Girls Cross-Country: Anna Fu ’20
This girl ran her heart out on one of the toughest courses that we will run all year. It was a nice and cool day at Westminster’s Richard Miller Invitational. For many on the team, it was the first competitive meet where their times mattered for the school’s score. Although nervous, this veteran was a great asset to help some of the new girls calm their nerves. Once the starter went off, she paced herself and patiently passed girls throughout the race. The hills defeated other girls, but this all-star pushed herself and never gave up. She ran an impressive 26:44 and came in 8th out of over 50 girls who competed in her race. All three coaches agreed that it was her best race of all time and are excited to see what she continues to do in the future. For her calm attitude and impressive perseverance, the girls’ cross-country athlete of the week is Anna Fu.
JV Field Hockey: Emma Jaskolski ‘20
Emma Jaskolski ’20 was a force to be reckoned with in JV Field Hockey’s game against Exeter on Saturday. If the ball was playable, Emma was on it. Without hesitation she stepped up to the attacking Exeter players, deftly stealing the ball away from them through stick skills and hustle. Emma tirelessly helped DA fend off attacks by often scooping the ball up in the middle of the field before Exeter could break through the 25-yard line mark into our circle. As one of our leaders at midfield, she contributed with unending energy to keeping Exeter out of our circle and to driving the ball into theirs! She confidently moved the ball across the field and through to her forwards, communicating clearly with her teammates, knowing that they always had her back. She fought in Exeter’s circle, pressuring their goalie repeatedly, supporting the scoring attempts including inserting beautifully on corners. Emma was an integral part of a full-team effort that led us to a 0-0 tie with one of our strongest opponents.
Boys Jr. A Soccer: Crawford Rice ’21
Crawford Rice ‘21 is Junior A Boys Soccer AOTW. Crawford has been one of the most important players on the team thus far this year. As keeper, he defended the net for a clean shut out against a young and talented Loomis team on Wednesday. His powerful punts allowed Deerfield to push up and apply pressure for a 5-0 victory. On Saturday, he made contact with even the few balls that made it into the goal in a valiant effort against a very strong Cardigan Mountain squad, and deflected many more. Junior A relies on his stalwart play every game, and most importantly, his positive attitude during games and practices lift the team up each day. Congratulations Crawford!
Boys Jr. B Soccer: Josh Oduro ’20
Our AOTW is Josh Oduro. He’s shown a lot of intensity and effort on the field and has been paying attention to coaching and feedback
Varsity Football: JP Patton ’19, Logan Armes ’20, Kishor Bharadwaj ’19, Freddy Manning ’21
The athletes of the week for the varsity football team are the four amazing managers. JP Patton, Logan Armes, Kishor Bharadwaj and Freddy Manning make up the star studded managerial crew. They have been an integral part of the team since the start of the season and we have relied on their collaboration, dependability and fun personalities both on practice and game days. Their attention to detail not only support the student-athletes, but are extremely helpful to the coaching staff. We are lucky to have such great managers!
Girls Varsity Soccer: Annabel Gerber ‘20
The varsity girls soccer athlete of the week is Annabel Gerber ’20. Annabel has been focused and determined since the team’s opening practice in September. Every day she brings a great work ethic to practice and she seeks to raise the bar for herself and her teammates. On the field, she sets the tone in the midfield with her composure on the ball and distribution. Her defensive efforts have thwarted many of our opponents attacks so far this season. Annabel’s drive has been awesome to coach and we look forward to watching her continued growth throughout the season!
Boys Varsity Soccer: Nate Baker ‘19
Nate has quickly adapted to the level of play at the varsity level and has become a solid member of our backline. He has embraced every challenge that has come his way, and has won the respect of his teammates for his attitude and performance.