Congratulations to this week’s Athletes of the Week!
Girls Varsity Hockey: Deirdre Mullowney ‘19
Deirdre Mullowney is our athlete of the week for her strong play in our Exeter game. Deirdre is a senior captain who leads by example with her grit, determination, and hard work. She relentlessly challenged Exeter in the defensive zone, causing turnovers and chances for our offense. Deirdre had several key rushes up the ice, that were near misses, and a few shots that were just shy of getting into the net; she was a force in all three zones. She held down our defensive unit with her strong play and is very deserving of GVH’s Athlete of the Week.
Girls JV Hockey: Hunter Keller ‘20
For JV girls’ Ice Hockey our athlete of the week is Hunter Keller! Last Wednesday we trekked up to NMH to face a weaker Hoggers team. Hunter, who has only ever played goalie on the ice, decided that she wanted to try skating out as a forward during this game. Hunter’s ambition paid off, and she even scored a goal for our team! Hunter’s positivity is infectious, and her consistent hard work in net has led to incredible improvement in her second year of playing goalie for us. She is unafraid to try new things, and easily incorporates what the coaches teach her into her play every day in practice and in games. As a result, she got her first shutout of the 18-19 season with a 5-0 victory over Exeter this weekend. Great Job Hunter!
Boys Varsity Squash: Billy Kitchel ‘22
Against Choate Billy went 10-12, 7-11, 11-9, 14-12, and 13-11 for the WIN!
Girls Varsity Basketball: Hanna Deringer ‘20
The Girls’ Varsity Basketball Athlete of the Week is junior guard Hanna Deringer. After a close loss to Taft in the middle of the week, Hannah came into practice with a focus and energy that was palpable. Her intensity, hustle and determination have set a high bar for all of her teammates. We are grateful for Hanna’s work ethic and attitude in and out of practice, and we look forward to more great play from Hanna.
Boys Thirds Basketball: Ford Holmen ’22 & Henry Barrera ‘21
Our Athletes of the Week are Ford Holmén and Henry Barrera. Both guards have been role models on and off the court. Ford has put in a good number of quality minutes playing point guard for us. He has displayed strong ball handling skills and efficiency on offense. He has proven himself trustworthy in ensuring ball security for the green and white, and he is adept at delivering passes to the spaces on the court that give us the best chance to score the ball. Ford, too, is a gritty player who shows courage when entering the paint and winning rebounds. Henry has emerged as one of our strongest defenders at guard, and he has shown impressive range from beyond the arc. In nearly every game he has played, Henry has scored the ball from three-point range. It has been a delight to have both players on our team. They bring a positive attitude to the court each day, and they are always willing to do the little things that promote strong team chemistry and communication. We are looking forward to their sustained growth over the years to come as part of Deerfield basketball and the broader school community.
Boys Varsity Swimming & Diving: Ron Finkelberg ‘21
For his many valuable contributions to the team in his first year at Deerfield, Ron Finkelberg is athlete of the week for Boys’ Varsity Swimming & Diving. As a new sophomore, Ron quickly established himself as a swimmer with a strong sense of focus and a vibrant competitive spirit. In practice, he sets clear goals and works hard to do the little things right. During meets, he thrives in close races. Perhaps his most exciting swim thus far was the final leg of the 400 Free Relay on Saturday when Ron pulled dramatically ahead of the Exeter team and split a season best time of 52.39. This remarkable swim is all the more impressive when one remembers that he had swum his season best time in the 100 Breast only five minutes earlier. In that individual event, Ron swam a 1:01.84, dropping just over ½ a second from his previous best in-season time, which he swam against Suffield on Wednesday. Given his enthusiasm and commitment to excellence, we very much look forward to seeing what the rest of the season will bring for Ron.
Girls Varsity Swimming & Diving: Mina Liang ‘19
The girls swimming and diving athlete of the week this week is Mina Liang. Mina has been a staple on our team for the last four years, training hard and coming on strong in big meets when we need her most. This past weekend against Exeter, Mina swam her heart out and landed a tie for first place in the 200 IM with a season best time, and a first place finish in the 100 breaststroke with another season best time. Mina is hands down our most versatile swimmer, and she ranks among the top swimmers in New England in the 50 free, the 100 free the 200 IM and the 100 breast. Mina brings a positive energy to the pool that is contagious amongst her teammates, and her kind, engaging personality is an invaluable asset to the DAGVSD team!
Boys JV Hockey: Will Dale ‘19
Our athlete of the week for boys JV hockey is Will Dale. Against Andover on Saturday, Will was instrumental in our come from behind win in overtime. Will scored the overtime winner giving him two goals on the day. Will, along with line mates Garrett Moe and Jack Shanahan, was on the ice for all four of Deerfield’s goals giving him a +3 rating on the day.
Will is one of several “veteran” players on this year’s JV team who provides this team with good character and talent. Keep up the good work fellas!
Girls Thirds Basketball: Ari Lewis-Pugh ‘22
Girls Thirds Basketball names Ari Lewis-Pugh ’22 as its Athlete of the Week. From our season opening win against NMH when she was the team’s high scorer, to our second game against Miss Hall’s School when she hit a free throw with five seconds remaining to give us a one-point lead for the win, to last week’s game when she was again high scorer in our win against the Ethel Walker School, Ari can be counted on to drive hard to the basket and put points on the board. While we ask a lot of Ari, she never complains and gives her best effort every minute of the game. Keep up the good work, Ari!
Boys Thirds Squash: Shane McCarthy ‘21
Shane McCarthy played two matches against Westminster last Saturday and won both of them 3-1 and then 3-2. Shane has made a lot of improvements since the beginning of the year and is undefeated on the year with a 3-0 record.
Girls Thirds Squash: Grace Russell ‘21
Grace battled hard at the number two position. She was our team’s lone victory against a very strong Andover squad on Saturday. She fell behind at times, only to battle back and take the victory in five games.
Girls JV Basketball: Annie Kane ‘20
This week we recognize Annie Kane (’20) as our AOTW. For the work ethic, optimism, and fierceness that she brings to each practice and game. Her steady play led us to victory against a solid Exeter team this past weekend.
Boys Varsity Hockey: Pierce Patterson ‘21
Pierce assisted on the game winning goal in OT against Trinity-Pawling on Saturday and continues to work hard on and off the ice.
Girls Varsity Squash: Soo-Min Lee ‘19
For her steady senior leadership, for always pushing teammates to keep up with her fast pace (even while jet-lagged) in court sprints, for her consistent effort, good humor, strategic gameswomanship, and positive team spirit, Soo-Min Lee is this week’s GVSquash Athlete of the Week.
Boys Varsity Basketball: Francis Dooley ‘19
Francis Dooley is the boys’ varsity basketball player of the week. He had a breakout game against Salisbury, scoring 8 points and, on the defensive end, taking two charges.