Congratulations to this week’s Doors of the Week!
JV Swimming: Vivian Gonzalez ‘25 and Melody Zhao ‘26
JV Swim would like to nominate Vivian Gonzalez ‘25 and Melody Zhao ‘26 for this week’s DOTWs.
Vivian has improved incredibly over the past two seasons of swimming. When she first started last December, she was just learning to finish a 50 free. Now, she’s swimming the 50 yard freestyle with ease, and in a whopping 15 seconds faster than last season, and she’s even raced in the 100 yard freestyle in our first meet of the season. In our meet on Wednesday, Vivian tried her hand at swimming butterfly – arguably the hardest stroke to learn – and did so beautifully! As a teammate, she is positive, supportive, playful, helpful, and focused. We’re so proud of how far she’s come and are so lucky to have her back this season.
Melody had an awesome meet on Wednesday! She dropped an incredible seven seconds in not one but two of her events, the 100 yard freestyle and the 100 yard breaststroke. She swam her other two events, the 50 yard breaststroke and 100 yard IM, at an equally impressive pace (we were so impressed, we double checked our stopwatches!). We shouldn’t have been surprised, though, because Melody seems to swim best times in every meet – a credit to her undiminishing determination and hard work. She is ready and willing to swim any event and puts her all into every practice and meet. She is also a fiercely kind team mate. Any one would be lucky to swim in a lane with her!
Boys Thirds Basketball: Jerry Du ’27
The boys thirds basketball door of the week is Jerry Du ’27. Jerry has been a consistent force on the offensive end, frequently leading all scorers. Most recently, he showed real grit and leadership on an off-shooting night at Eagle Hill, finding alternative ways of having a positive impact on the defensive end.
Girls Varsity Hockey: Julia Tamul ’25
Julia Tamul is the girls’ hockey Door of the Week for her endless positivity and team first attitude, as well as her relentless effort on the ice. Julia has made huge strides forward in her game in her second season with us, and has become someone we rely on for her steady presence in all three zones. Not only is she a great player for us, she models what a good teammate is- she’s just as excited for her teammate’s success as her own, and always gives 100%. In our game versus New Hampton that was especially evident, and her hard net drive and speed resulted in a beautiful goal that won the game for us! Keep it up Julia!
Boys JV Squash: Jack Keller ’26
Jack has been climbing the ladder in challenge matches and has represented Deerfield well in recent matches vs Choate, Eaglebrook, and Berkshire. Jack is also a very positive guy who brings as much joy as intensity to the courts. He has definitely made a positive impact on this team and I’m excited to see him compete against better players in the coming weeks.
Girls Varsity Basketball: Avery Izzo ‘24
The door of the week is Avery Izzo ‘24 for her consistent grit and determination. She works hard every second of every day and it is SO impressive. Without a doubt, Izzo elevates our level of play in practice/games, and our team is better for it.
Girls Varsity Squash: Grace Lodge ‘27
Grace’s Deerfield squash career began with a dominant win over Hotchkiss at the #1 position and she hasn’t slowed down since! Playing #1 as a young player can be intimidating but Grace approaches every match with determination and an iron will to win. She plays hard, supports her teammates and brings positive energy to the courts every afternoon to practice and that translates to exceptional results on match days. After 6 straight wins, Grace faced off against Greenwich Academy’s #1 who had just played in the professional Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Station in NYC. Grace played tight, aggressive squash and while she took her first loss of the season, she took a game off the GA 1 through her strong play. A terrific start for a young leader out on the squash courts!
Girls Thirds Basketball: Ellora Devitre ’26
Ellora has been a steady presence all season for the girls thirds basketball team. She is both a leader by example and also consistently cheers on and encourages her teammates.
Boys Varsity Basketball: Tommy McMahon ’25
Tommy McMahon has been a great leader on and off the basketball court with his team-first mentality. He continuously seeks out opportunities of growth and connection amongst different areas in the community. Keep up the great work, Tommy!