Emily O’Brien ‘21– Girls Varsity Squash
A tireless worker and highly coachable athlete, Emily plays a crucial role on the girls varsity squash team. A steady presence at #5, Emily played exceptional matches against Ethel Walker, Suffield, and Pomfret this past week. Her 1-2 record came in two five game matches and one four game match. In those matches the final game scores were 10-12, 12-10, and 8-11. Those results testify to Emily’s determination to compete hard for every point of every game all the way through. Her positive attitude, resilience, skill and great sense of humor make Emily O’Brien a great teammate and positive role model for all her teammates.
Peter Seo ’20- Boys Varsity Squash
Peter has been a staple of the boys varsity squash team this year. A consistent presence in the ladder, Peter has performed excellently as a starter for the entire season. An athlete of few words, Peter instead chooses to let his racket do all the talking. Despite having one of the most dominant and powerful swings on the team, Peter remains humble and always practices great sportsmanship. Peter brings an innate competitive fire to each match, using his broad array of shots to gain an edge over his opponent, but he always remains friendly and finishes each game with a smile. Peter has provided quiet and steady leadership the whole season and he has worked hard to improve his own game as well as the game of his teammates.
Josefiina Lehto – Girls Varsity Basketball
Josefiina has been a very valuable contributor to the success of the girls varsity basketball season. Blessed with terrific court awareness, she contributes in so many ways that don’t show up in the box score. A tremendous help defender, she is always in position to assist her teammates with timely defensive stops. Additionally, her all-around game on both ends of the court make her a sparkplug off the bench. In this past week’s wins over both Taft and Cheshire she demonstrated her strong overall play with key buckets, rebounds, assists and simply being in the right place at the right time. She also took the lead playing the point against Cheshire for the first time this season demonstrating her versatility. Josefiina can be counted on by her teammates and coaches to bring a reliable, basketball “smart” presence to each game. The team will look to her continued contributions as they finish up their season!
Riley Roche ’20- Girls Varsity Hockey
Riley has been a crucial cog in the wheel of success for the girls varsity hockey team this season. This past week she showed up in a big way against challenging opponents from Northfield Mt. Hermon and Loomis Chaffee. On Wednesday, she scored twice to help lead the Wildcat’s to an 8-1 victory in front of a home crowd over Northfield. Her strong offensive contributions continued Saturday on the road against Loomis as she netted another goal, helping to keep the Cats in the fight against the strong Loomis squad. Riley worked tremendously hard this off-season and throughout the season to improve her skills set and this work has paid dividends. She is a leader by example as she always brings a positive attitude and never hesitates to put her teammates first. The team and her coaches will continue to rely on her strong play and team first mentality as they move through the final week of the regular season.
Nate Kerr ’23- Thirds Squash
Nate has had a great season for the thirds squash program. He embodies the mental side of squash like no other player on the team. He’s always thinking about strategy and using his court sense to make his opponent run while he dominates the T. However, it is his off-court presence that is even more impressive. Before the team’s match last Wednesday, it was Nate who stepped forward and motivated the team with the inspiration to play hard for every point, regardless of the score. Through his words, court play, and focused practice, Nate has been instrumental in keeping the team focused on playing their best squash into our final week of the season.
Pippa Berry ‘23-Girls JV Hockey
In her third year on the JV hockey team, Pippa has had a breakout season for the Wildcat’s. She is a quiet presence on the team but leads with her actions and gets the job done on the ice. The team has called on Pippa to play more of a defensive role this year but has also stepped into the forward position when needed. On defense she is a smart and strategic player, and on the forward line she is wowing her teammates and coaches with her size and speed. She is flexible and willing to help the team wherever she is needed. She has grown so much as a player and her confidence and versatility has contributed to the success of the team this season. The Cats will continue to lean on her as they head into the final game of the season.
Hudson Fulcher-Melendy ’24- Boys Fourths Basketball
Hudson has been a key contributor for the boys fourths basketball team this season. His strong play continued this week as he led the team in scoring on Saturday against Eaglebrook. He netted three three-point shots to earn his nine points on the day. Hudson’s passing and team first type plays during the game helped to bring out everyone’s best performance. In addition to his strong play in games, he has shown terrific leadership all season, working hard to get all his teammates involved in practice helping to make each player better by doing so. His coaches and teammates are grateful for Hudson’s leadership and look forward to seeing him continue to grow as a player and leader in the years to come!