Congratulations to this week’s Athletes of the Week!
Girls JV Soccer: Grace Arcoleo ’22
Grace was able to come back from a nagging injury to save the game for Deerfield as our goalkeeper. She made twenty-two saves for a shut out and made some truly unbelievable point blank saves, sometimes even several in a row. Through her efforts we were able to win our game vs. Exeter.
Varsity Field Hockey: Lily Steinwold ’21
This weeks athlete of the week for Varsity Field Hockey is Lily Steinwold ’21. Although she has been out with an injury since the beginning of the season, she has done any and everything to make her presence known to her teammates and be an integral and positive component of the fabric of this team. From cheering her teammates on during practice and games, to scouting other teams’ corners and making sure to pick up stray balls in practice so that things can run efficiently, Lily does it all. Hopefully she will be returning to play soon, but either way she should be recognized for her dedication to this program even when she can’t be out on the field.
Girls Varsity Soccer: Molly Fischer ‘20
Molly Fischer is the girls varsity soccer Athlete of the Week. In a big week of soccer, Molly was called upon in goal for the Big Green, making her first start of the season. Molly played with confidence and came up with some big saves! She displayed her determination and toughness in Friday’s game vs. Taft when she left the game due to injury, but quickly and valiantly returned to the game action after treatment. Still recovering from Friday night’s injury, Molly was called upon again in Saturday’s game at Exeter and she was ready for the challenge. Coming up big with a couple of breakaway saves. We look forward to Molly’s continued growth and courageous play in goal this season!
Boys Cross-Country: Chris Thagard ’19
After missing a meet with a minor injury, Chris worked very hard for the last two weeks to get back to where he wants to be, and he was the only member of our team to run his season’s best time at Exeter on Saturday. Then, after his race, still clad in his uniform and spikes and cheering on the girls’ team, Chris stopped to wade into waist-high swampy grass to retrieve a soccer ball that had landed there after an errant shot on a nearby field. Chris tossed the ball back toward the soccer players, all in view of almost no one else; it was a small moment of selflessness and helpfulness that set a wonderful example for his Deerfield teammates.
JV Volleyball: Lexi Roadside ‘21
The JV volleyball athlete of the week is new sophomore Lexi Roadside ‘21. Lexi missed the first month of the season, but she was always eager to be part of the team. Until she was cleared to play, she volunteered to serve as a team manager, and then she immediately hopped onto the court when she heard the go ahead. It was evident early on that she could be a skilled passer, and after two weeks of shaking off some rust, Lexi emerged as one of top passers on the team. When Big Green’s regular libero was unavailable for the game at Exeter this past Saturday, Lexi stepped into the role for the first time and provided a stellar debut. She made great passes in the back row and showed exceptional hustle. Her quickly improving performance has added a new depth to the team, and the coaches look forward to increasing her playing time and positively impacting the team’s success.
Girls Reserve Soccer: Anne Duong ’22
Anne Duong is the Girls Reserve Soccer Athlete of the Week. Anne has done a terrific job of playing goalie after both of the team’s starting goalies were injured with concussions. Incredibly tough, poised and talented, Anne cheerfully took charge of the net in our game against Westminster and almost earned a shutout. We are grateful for her selfless contributions to the team.
Girls Cross-Country: Victoria Patterson ’20
This young woman has been a leader both on the team and in our division. During every race she is focused and determined. She pushes herself to pursue difficult workouts while remaining healthy. It’s clearly working as she has come in first during every single race and smashed 4 different course records at Westminster, Canterbury, Deerfield, and most recently, Exeter. During practice she is kind and thoughtful with her teammates. As a captain she leads core workouts and checks in on how everyone is feeling. She is a true role model on and off the race course. We cannot wait to see what she can do in the future. For these reasons and many more, the Girls Cross-Country athlete of the week is Victoria Patterson.
Boys Jr. B Soccer: Billy Kitchel ’22
Our AOTW is Billy Kitchel. Billy always gives maximum effort on the field, whether it’s a drill during practice or an important moment in a game. He’s willing to play wherever we need him to on the field and has become a much better player over the course of the season.
Thirds Field Hockey: Willow Woodward ’22
Willow earns 3rds field hockey Player of the Week for her tenacious play against both Frontier and Taft. Against Frontier, Willow showed incredible sportsmanship to play for the other team in the first half since they did not have enough players to field a team. Later in the game when playing for Deerfield’s side, Willow showed her tenacity by keeping her stick down in the circle time and time again to cause penalty corners and take rebound shots on goal. After a series of strong offensive attacks, Willow found the back of the net. Against Taft, Willow, once again, showed her hallmark tenacity chasing down balls and keeping her stick low time and time again to force a foul, draw a corner or take a shot. She hustled and dug deep—just the kind of effort we hope for. Willow also plays with respect for her teammates and opponents alike. For her sportsmanship and hard work, Willow earns this week’s Player of the Week.
Varsity Volleyball: Michelle Zimmerman ‘21
For volleyball, this week’s Athlete of the Week is Michelle Zimmerman ’21. She has put in a lot of effort this year and it shows in her improvement each day in practice and in games. Congratulations!
JV Field Hockey: Lucy Blake ’19
Captain Lucy Blake ’19 has been a rock in goal this fall. She has been a role model in so many ways – as a leader of her defense, as a teacher to an up-and-coming 2nd goalie on the team, and as a ‘lead by example’ player, putting her all into every practice, bringing dedication, determination, and love of the sport each day. She has worked flawlessly with her sweepers Lily Faucett ’20 and Kylie Kittredge ’22, directing the defense to mark closer and to have ‘eyes in the back of their heads’ as the attackers did their best to sneak behind our defenders, gluing themselves to the post. This Saturday’s game against Taft was by far our toughest game of the season. Playing on the turf in front of many families (it was Taft’s family weekend), Taft came out with a vengeance, sprinting to the ball and executing skilled passing. As everyone on the team will attest, and as was expressed numerous times during the post-game ‘shout-outs,’ Lucy played her absolute best game ever. The score of 0-4 does not reflect the number of saves she made, most of which looked as if they would make it into the net but were miraculously and skillfully denied. She was focused, poised, and determined, nearly shutting down the attacks during the second half of the game. No doubt her defense gave her much support throughout the game, but without her nearly ‘out of body’ ability to react in a moment’s notice and stop the ball from crossing into the goal, the final results would have been quite different.
Varsity Football: Garrett Alexander ‘19
Garrett Alexander ’19 was the football team’s athlete of the week for his outstanding effort in the team’s 37-14 come from behind victory over Phillips Exeter. Alexander has been a leader for the Big Green all season and this weekend he was unblockable. He led the team with 10 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 touchdown. Garrett plays the game the right way, his passion, effort, grit and tenacious pursuit stand out on the field. We can’t wait to see Garrett next week against Andover.