Athletes of the Week for January 14, 2019

Congratulations to Alijah Lovelace '19 and Jimmy Wu ’19 for receiving Cardigan’s Athlete of the Week Award. Read what their coaches have to say about them below, and meet all the students who were nominated.

Varsity Student-Athlete of the Week

Alijah Lovelace '19 – Varsity Basketball

Alijah has the uncanny ability to make those around him better. Whether it be on the basketball court, on a bus ride, or simply eating breakfast with his teammates. Traditionally, Alijah is the caliber of player who would be granted this nomination per statistical production. However, Alijah played relatively out of character over the weekend, turning the ball over and missing routine shots. In light of this adversity, Alijah remained true to his character, maintaining a strong line of communication with his coaching staff, seeking advice and strategic adjustments to implement, while working alternative routes of leadership. In response to his growth of character, his strides made as a man, and his proactive approach to leadership, Alijah has earned himself this week’s nomination. 

Sub-Varsity Student-Athlete of the Week

Jimmy Wu ’19 – JV Basketball

Jimmy has turned up his play as we returned from break. He is now a leader on our team and has solidified a lot of playing time. He has a great presence in the paint rebounding and scoring. Jimmy is a very talented defender as well. He has been one of the best players on the court in our last two games with several baskets and making all the right plays. Most impressively, Jimmy has a team first attitude and is very coachable.

Other Varsity Nominations

Nico Gomez Malacara '20 – Varsity Snowboarding

Nico's riding continues to improve daily. He is committed to becoming a strong rider and takes every opportunity to practice with his peers. In just two short months, he has gone from a beginner snowboarder working diligently on his turns to a charging knuckle dragging snowboard fiend who is keeping up with a hard riding pack of experienced snowboarders. Keep it up, Nico!

Lucas Ding ’20 – Wrestling

Lucas Ding is one of the wrestling team’s hardest workers. He and his practice partner have been training hard and perfecting their skills. Lucas competes at an incredibly high level. He is also a fearless wrestler. Lucas had four intense matches at the recent Cardigan Wrestling Tournament and was able to pin his opponent in several of those contests. At the conclusion of the Tournament, Lucas took top honors as champion of his weight class--a very impressive performance. Keep up the good work, Lucas. 

Willem Naughton ’20 – Alpine Skiing 

Willem has been steadily improving throughout the season. He has a tremendous work ethic and is consistently a good teammate. Although our first race was canceled Willem was going to race in the varsity race as a first-year racer. This is a testament to the strong work he has put forth this season.

Harry Yuan ’19 – Nordic Skiing

Harry has been a great captain for the Nordic team so far this season. He leads the team every day in practice with his positive attitude and full effort. Harry takes time to offer instruction and advice to all the skiers on the team. He is often in the back of the pack guiding new skiers along. Today he skied fast at Eastman Nordic Center in preparation for our upcoming home race next Wednesday. Nice skiing, Harry!

Mattie Grabmann ’19 – Varsity Hockey

This past week not only was Matt very strong defensively all week, but he also scored three goals during our two games on Sunday. Matt has a great presence on and off the ice. He's always doing the right thing and encouraging his teammates to do the same. 

Other Sub-Varsity Nominations

Layton Glover ’22 – Thirds Basketball

In a close loss to Eaglebrook, Layton was fearless against much larger opponents and continued to move the ball and attack the basket despite being thrown to the floor several times. He was also a smothering presence on defense. Layton's effort, fantastic attitude, and kindness towards everyone around him make him a great player and teammate. 

John Li ’20 – Reserve Basketball

John has quietly put forth great effort in practices, performing well without fanfare. He was a real threat on the court in our game against Eaglebrook, scoring every time he was out on the floor. He exemplifies good sportsmanship by doing his best without asking for attention or, special treatment, nor putting others down when he outperforms them.

Chad Leach ’19 – JV Hockey

Chad has been the most consistent and reliable player for the JV Hockey Team this year. Through hard work in practice and his ability to think the game, Chad plays in all key situations for his team. Not only does he lead by example, he is also a great captain and communicates well with his teammates and coaches. His hard work allowed him to be called up to the Varsity Team just before the holiday break. Excellent work Chad!

Tony He ’22 – Reserve Hockey

Tony loves to come to the rink each and every day. His demeanor and attitude are a coach’s dream. Tony puts forth his best effort each day which allows him to improve as a hockey player.

Cam Eckelman ’19 – Thirds Hockey

Cam has been one of the most dependable members of the Thirds Team since the beginning of the season. The team opened 2019 with an inconsistent effort versus BHL on Wednesday night, but Cam showed up and played an excellent game in net and gave the team a chance to win. Furthermore, Cam had a solid effort Saturday in a 5-1 win against the Green Mountain Glades. Whether the team is skating sprints in practice or scrimmaging, Cam puts his head down and does his best each and every day.