Congratulations to this week’s Athletes of the Week! Thank you for your efforts and contributions to our teams!
JrB Boys Soccer: Elliot Flagg, 9th grader
Elliot Flagg is our athlete of the week, for his tireless efforts on defense.
JV Boys Soccer: Gideon Yektai, 11th grader
Resourceful, well-positioned, smart and determined, Gideon gave the team a superb performance in the goal in each of the past two games. A spectacular point-blank save in the Westminster game was a key to our eventual victory and his poise against a strong Hotchkiss team preserved a shut out. And his contributions to the team every day have been a key to the team’s strong start this season.
JV Volleyball: Caroline Pappas, 12th grader
Caroline is one of the captains on her team and she fulfills her duty every week. The team hit some rough patches while playing in our previous couple games, but I could count on Caroline to keep the energy level up. Even though it was a loss, Caroline had a pep talk with the team explaining how well they all played, not to get down on themselves and to continue to keep working hard. Thank you Caroline; keep up the great work!
Varsity Girls Soccer: Valerie Hetherington, 10th grader
Valerie had a fantastic week in the goal for the GV soccer team. She held NMH scoreless for a half on Wednesday and then kept us in the game on Saturday; she held a talented Loomis Chaffee team scoreless through 60 minutes of play. Along with her excellent play, we appreciated Val’s effort and positive attitude.
Varsity Boys Water Polo: Ryan Safiry, 10th grader
A newcomer to water polo, sophomore Ryan Safiry has improved rapidly. Though he primarily competes in the junior varsity contests, he played several minutes in the varsity game against Hotchkiss. Tasked with concentrating on defense, Ryan immediately rose to the challenge when he stopped a counterattack with a picture-perfect block within thirty seconds of entering the game.
Boys Cross-Country: Marco Marsans, 11th grader
The boys’ XC athlete of the week is Marco Marsans ’18. Marco has been improving steadily throughout the season and ran a great race at Choate on Saturday. His coaches asked him to break out of his comfortable spot running behind one of our captains, and he did just that, racing aggressively and relentlessly. Marco’s breakout performance will hopefully inspire his teammates to do the same in the weeks ahead!
Girls Cross-Country: Erin Hudson, 11th grader
Erin Hudson performed brilliantly against Choate and Loomis on Saturday in her first race back from illness. Erin was sidelined for several weeks and not allowed to train during much of that time. She has been waiting patiently during her return, and in fact her race Saturday was a metaphor for her comeback from poor health. She started calmly and methodically, allowing the other runners to take advantageous positions in the first mile, but then, gradually, methodically, and confidently, she climbed her way through the competitors to finish as the second girl for Deerfield. We expect Erin to be back close to 100% by next week, and just in time for our meet against a heavily favored Exeter team. Welcome back, Erin!
JrA Boys Soccer: Jared Pantalony, 12th grader
Strong game making contributions to the O and the D, and was/is the hardest working player on the field.
Varsity Boys Soccer: Chad Haggerty, PG
PG Chad Haggerty is this week’s boys varsity soccer athlete of the week. After being sidelined for the first six games of the season Chad was itching to get back on the pitch and did so in a big way. Chad scored three goals and assisted on three others last week, leading the big green to two 4-1 victories. Chad’s return to the field hasn’t only been reflected on the scoreboard, his ability to combine with the center midfielders and free up space for other teammates has not gone unnoticed.
Reserve Girls Soccer: Whitney Vogt, 9th grader
Our Athlete of the Week is Whitney Vogt ’20, who scored the game-tying goal against Loomis Chaffee during the team’s game on Saturday. Whitney has worked hard to improve her shooting this season and has collected several impressive goals, all of which she has earned through dedication in practice and games to being aggressive in her play as a midfielder and a forward, taking the time to look for the net, and firing off as many shots as she can in the course of the game. Whitney’s relentless drive for the goal paid off on Saturday, as she dribbled nearly the full length of the field and then took a powerful shot from far right of the goal, as Loomis’s defenders worked to contain her breakaway and force her towards the sideline. Whitney’s aim was true and the shot, though taken with no angle, hit the far post and zipped into the goal. Whitney’s communication skills (including calling “Hello!” for the ball), focus, and determination during drills and games are greatly appreciated by her coaches and inspiring for her teammates, and she seems destined to continue putting the Big Green on the scoreboard this season. Thank you, Whitney!
Varsity Field Hockey: Cornelia MacKay, 11th grader
This week’s athlete of the week for varsity field hockey goes to Cornelia Mackay ’18 for her extremely consistent play in the midfield so far this season. Corn has been an important link for out on the field in every game, and has done an amazing job of incorporating the skills we go over in practice into her play. This past Wednesday in our game against KUA, Corn scored her first career goal and had one of the best celebrations the team has seen to date. She can always be seen with her stick on the turf, and sets a great example for her fellow teammates on the field. We look forward to seeing her continued growth and hard work as the season progresses.
Varsity Volleyball: Jillian Carroll, 11th grader
Jillian is a team player with a great attitude who has been a key defender for us the whole season. On top of all that, Jillian has been extremely flexible this year, playing wherever we ask her to play without very much notice. In one of the sets from last week’s match against Nobles, Jillian came in at the end of the game when Nobles had 23 points (needing only 25 to win) and performed phenomenally under pressure. She completed all of her serves (about six in a row) and picked up tons of digs for us in the meantime. We really respect Jill’s athleticism and ability to turn it on at a moment’s notice. Thanks for all your efforts, Jill!