Athletes of the Week for April 24, 2022

Congratulations to Gustavo “Gus” Struck ’22 and Ronan Przydzielski ’23 for receiving Cardigan’s Student-Athlete of the Week Awards. Read what their coaches have to say about them below, and meet all the students who were nominated. Learn more about Athletics at Cardigan Mountain School.

Varsity Student-Athlete of the Week

Gustavo “Gus” Struck ’22 - Varsity Tennis 

Gustavo is a very experienced and mature player who also plays a key role on the squad. He is a great leader on and off the court; often you can hear him cheering for his teammates across the courts, and he always finds the time to give advice and encouragement between matches. The coaches are very proud of his game as he becomes smarter and more consistent. Well done, Gustavo!

Sub-Varsity Student-Athlete of the Week

Ronan Przydzielski ’23 - Thirds Lacrosse 

Ronan has led our team in the skill department since day one! He makes plays with both hands at every position, and he steps up whenever we need a goalie. During this week's intramural games, Ronan made big saves in the net and created fast-break opportunities with outlet passing. We are lucky to have him on our squad!

Other Varsity Nominations 

Nate Watson ’23 - Varsity Baseball 

Nate has been a solid contributor to the Varsity Baseball Team this season. His versatility and athleticism make him a threat to opposing teams, whether he is at the plate, in the field, or on the mound. In addition, he brings a strong work ethic and determination as a quiet leader to the team. In our first home game against Eaglebrook, he played an errorless game at shortstop, pitched two scoreless innings, and collected two hits at the plate. Nate is a player that looks to improve each day and leads his teammates by example.

Aidan Doyle ’22 - Varsity Lacrosse 

Aidan has been a rock at every face-off for the team all year. He also works hard every day in games and practices. This past weekend he gutted out a badly rolled ankle to stay in the game and continued to help the team. Despite his injury, Aidan persevered with great grit and determination, helping to establish and maintain control at the face-off for our team. On top of his injury, he also broke his face-off stick and still continued to compete.

Other Sub-Varsity Nominations

Romeo N’kumbu ’24 - Thirds Baseball

Romeo has been a breath of fresh air and a savior on our team so far this season. Even though he is brand new to baseball, he offered pitch and does extremely well. Not only is he successful at finding the strike zone, but he does it with regularity and a smile on his face. Being coachable and a good teammate is what we ask, and this is exactly what Romeo is giving us. For these reasons, he deserves to be our Student-Athlete of the Week.

Yinuo “Carson” Chen ’23 - Thirds Tennis

Carson earned Student-Athlete of the Week for his two wins, playing singles, against Vermont Academy and Eaglebrook School. His quiet intensity and his hustle on the court make him a formidable opponent. At practice, in the locker room, and in the van, his positive contributions serve as a fine model for his teammates.

Keunhoo Park ’23 - Reserve Tennis

After his teammates elected him to be their captain, Keunhoo immediately rose to the responsibilities of the position by hustling during a very difficult drill on Friday. He made sure his teammates behaved while watching the varsity match, and has been consistent about picking  up balls in between drills.

Solmon Kim ’22 - JV Baseball 

Solmon was a force both at the plate and on the field during our first two games this season. He had two of the hardest hit balls in both games, including a long blast for a double against Holderess. His defense at both shortstop and third base led to excellent plays in both games. His throw from third base with one foot on the foul line against Hanover was the most challenging throw an infielder can make, and Solmon nipped the runner at first base. Excellent first week of the season!

Zeze Probstein ’22 - Rock Climbing 

Zeze has made steady progress as a climber this spring by ticking off all the white problems, and he is beginning to finish the intermediate ones. More importantly, he takes safety protocols very seriously, spotting and belaying his partners with unwavering attention. Zeze gets along well with all his teammates, and this makes him a fine member of the Rock Climbing Team.  

Alex Kernisant ’24 - Fourths Lacrosse 

Alex was nominated as captain of our team this year due to his incredible effort and skills on the field. He is one of the toughest student-athletes ever to set foot on the field. He helped lead a strong defensive effort in the team’s 13-3 victory over Hartford last week, and this week he helped the fourths team stay very competitive in a loss by only two goals to the Cardigan thirds team. 

Robbie Burns ’22 and Robbie Fawcett ’22 - JV Tennis  

Our team is nominating our beloved doubles partners, Robbie Burns and Robbie Fawcett (aka R² or R squared), for Student-Athletes of the Week. These two gentlemen come to practice and matches with racquets in hands and smiles on their faces. During matches, they NEVER give up! In our most recent match with Eaglebrook, they were down 1-7 and battled back to win three out of the final four games played. Though they still lost (4-8), they played with dignity and pushed their opponents to give it their all. R² . . . . model sportsmen in a gentleman’s game!