Congratulations to this week’s Doors of the Week!
Boys Cross-Country: Paul de Bruyn Kops ’24
Door of the Week for the final week of the season is four-year senior Paul de Bruyn Kops ’24, who jumped into the junior varsity championship race on a moment’s notice after one of his teammates pulled out from racing just before the start. He showed up for his team, ran hard to far outpace his predicted placement on the ladder, and posted a season best time. Paul’s consistent hard work, commitment to the team, and evident love for the privilege of racing makes him a quintessential Deerfield harrier.
Girls Cross-Country: Taz Hancock ‘24
Our last door of the week is Taz Hancock ‘24 for helping to lead the JV team to third place at the Championship, our best JV finish in many years. Taz ran her final race with the traits that have characterised her entire season: she was determined to perform to the best of her ability, she wanted to help the team to do as well as they could, and she expressed care for her teammates throughout. Taz went out ready to give it her all, resulting in her getting her PR. This whole season, Taz has shown up and been ready to do whatever she can to better the team. She never gave up, brought a smile and sense of humour to every practice, and was always ready with words of encouragement. We’re extremely proud of her and will miss her immensely next year.
Varsity Field Hockey: Ilsa Borgen ‘26
The final VFH DOTW is Ilsa Borgen ‘26. Ilsa worked incredibly hard all fall and earned a starting spot in the quarterfinal game against Taft. She is speedy, skilled, and sees the field well. Ilsa is very coachable, eager to improve, and her teammates adore her. We are grateful for her commitment and dedication to DAVFH and look forward to her leadership in the coming years. Congrats Ilsa!
JV Field Hockey: Lila Church, Sophie Simonds, and Campbell Ardrey
JV FH would like to nominate Lila Church, Sophie Simonds, and Campbell Ardrey for our final Doors of the Week. Lila Church and Sophie Simonds had incredible seasons, wracking up numerous goals and even more assists from their position at right wing. Their hits from the right corner regularly set up scoring opportunities for Deerfield.
Sophie brought positive energy and flexibility on the field to each game, hustling to gather the ball from the midfield and carry it up the right side.
Lila has an unstoppable drive and is unshakable on the field. We also love her shoutouts; she adeptly acknowledges the strengths of players who don’t get attention often.
Campbell has been a powerhouse on the forward line. She’s happy and able to play anywhere we put her. She’s got a fiery competitiveness and a strong stick. She’s also had several goals this season, including a beautiful slap shot from the top of the circle at the end of our Choate game.
We’re so lucky to have them all!
Girls JV Soccer: Sophia Sotirhos ’25
Sophia is an excellent teammate. She willingly spent the majority of her field time in the goal this season and did so with grace, positivity and a generous spirit.
Boys Junior A Soccer: Henry Shearer ’26 and Tommy Govi ’26
On a team of fifteen players who bought in from the start, nobody was more invested than Henry. Even before being named a captain, he led with his words and actions. He held himself and his teammates to a professional standard and celebrated every success his small, scrappy team achieved. At center-back he anchored a developing defense and put on his best performance on Choate Day, a clean-sheet victory we all will long remember. The Deerfield soccer program is lucky to have Henry as a faithful member and moral leader.
Nearly voted the team’s Most Improved Player, Tommy certainly made the biggest gains since last season. His speed, passing, and game intelligence were all at a new level in his second go-round with Junior A. But it was the growth in his leadership and team-first attitude that was the real surprise this fall. As cheerful and fun-loving as ever, he set an example for serious commitment to self-improvement and dedication to the team, whether stepping into an unfamiliar position to balance to the roster, or standing up at the white board pitching his teammates a new form of attack in Xs and Os.
Varsity Volleyball: Emily Rice ’24 and Evie Makarow ’24
The last DOTW for varsity volleyball goes to our captains, Emily Rice and Evie Makarow. They have been the backbone of our team this year, Evie leading the offense and Emily the defense. Both are willing to take on the hard jobs to lift up their teammates. Skill, leadership, and compassion are all necessary attributes and both players have them in abundance. They have led Deerfield to another NEPSAC playoffs. Their presence is felt in every minute of volleyball played by this team, no matter if it is practice, games, or pickup. Congratulations to Emily and Evie, as well as the whole DA volleyball team for a fabulous season.
Boys JV Soccer: Finn Knight ’25
Our final Door of the Week is Finn Knight. Finn has risen from the quad squad and thirds in his first two years and has become a junior leader of JV. Playing centerback for the entire season and frequently logging 80 minute games, Finn was a core member of our stingy defense which gave up only 13 goals all season, the fewest since I’ve been coaching. In games, Finn played knew when a physcial challenge was needed and when to play balanced position. He played well in the air and chased down through balls ahead of speedy attackers. Generally, he was very frustrating to play against. As much as he was frustrating, he was also an extremely positive and generous teammate. He passed well and communicated well. He took feedback and kept the team’s needs in the forefront. In our final team party, we asked players to recall other players’ highlights and Finn was amazingly good at remembering small and large moments of success from months ago. Finn has been such a “glue guy” for us in all aspects and we really appreciated his contribitions all season long.
Girls Varsity Soccer: Alex Hermsdorf ‘25
Girls Varsity Soccer proudly recognizes Alex Hermsdorf ’25 as our Door of the Week. On top of changing positions from forward to outside midfielder, Alex has been a consistent threat on the attack for the Doors. Her persistence paid off when Meryl Gilbert ’27 threaded a ball through the Choate defense to Alex running down the right flank where she collected the ball, pushed forward, and scored the game winning goal for Deerfield in our final game of the season. So proud of you, Alex!
Varsity Football: Aye Whohiren ’26, Ileana Pena ’24, Izzy Ramirez ’25 & Thayer Newton ’24
The DOTW for the Football Team’s final week of the season goes to four very deserving individuals. These individuals are members of the football family who provide support through countless hours of lugging water, filming practice and games and making sure that we have everything that we need for both home and away games. Aye Woghiren, Izzy Ramirez, Ileanna Pena and Thayer Newton have earned the recognition of DOTW for their roles as the football managers. We appreciate all that they do and the roles that they play on our team. Thank you!