The Deerfield Scroll
Sports
Athlete of the Issue: Felicia Renelus ’17 //COLMAN SHEA Staff Writer
The winter season at Deerfield is a long one, but many teams have one particular game that carries a significant amount of excitement. Whether that game is for a trophy or a New England title, this one game often represents more than just a game. For the girls varsity hockey team, that game was played against Pomfret School for the coveted Hastings Cup. This year, on January 25th, Deerfield won 7-1 to take home the Cup for the second year in a row. Playing for the Hastings Cup has been a tradition between Pomfret and Deerfield for seven years. Named after Brad Hastings, this cup has served to honor Hastings for his contributions to both Pomfret and Deerfield girls hockey teams. In his role of Dean of Students at Deerfield in 1979, Hastings elected to coach the girls hockey team during the Academy’s second year of coeducation. Mr. Hastings served in this role until leaving Deerfield to become Head of School at Pomfret in 1991. He was also the first girls hockey coach at Pomfret. The Hastings Cup fosters a healthy rivalry between the two schools and has helped drive a high intensity game for the Bu
In order to be admitted Deerfield, how well an applicant takes a test or if he or she can pass an 8th grade physics class is not enough anymore. A student must have talents outside the classroom in order to distinguish him or herself from other applicants, and it seems that many of the admitted students here at Deerfield have been selected for their complementary athletic talent. Year after year, thousands of students apply to Deerfield in hopes that they’ll find a new home in the Pocumtuck Valley in the fall. Although this is only the case for a select few who are supposedly the most qualified, the question for those who do not obtain a spot is, “What was I missing?” Head of Admissions Mr. Charles Davis said that rather than athletic talent, Admissions considers p e r s o n a l integrity and character to be “the starting point from which all other conversations can go forward.” Admissions is collaborating with the new athletic director, Mr. Bob Howe. Mr. Howe said that he is “helping coaches be more strategic as to how they recruit students and think about their teams; meaning it’s not just about feeding them, so to speak, to help them in the short term.” Mr. Howe has given athletic coaches and director of the arts the “opportunity to put a finer point in on programs that have greater needs.” Admissions is also continuing to working closely with program leaders of other cocurriculars. An applicant is more likely to be admitted when multiple adults from different programs are advocating for the same candidate. Mr. Davis clarified that the specific programs are “of less importance to [me] than the fact that [the applicants] can work in those multiple areas.”
The question remains as to what is actually prioritized and what Admissions likes to see in a candidate. Mr. Davis pointed out that there is no ideal candidate that Admissions favors, but that the school rather prefers students that have a “breadth of interest.” He elaborated on this idea, saying “[The Admissions office] likes applicants who actually have multiple areas where they can contribute, acknowledging their contributions inside the classroom but also outside the classroom.” Mr. Davis explained that the Admissions Office has used various analogies to think of enrollment over the years. At one point, there were “buckets” labeled with categories such as diversity, athletics, or art, into which candidates were placed. But this method confined students, as an athlete can be a musician as well as a student who brings diversity. When speaking of his personal analogy about admissions, Mr. Davis commented, “I would like to think of the ideal candidate like a target with a bull’s eye. The center is their personal character. As you branch out, you start to attend to their intellectual capacity, their h Kang r e d e e m i n g Hanna talents, any other interesting life experiences that they bring to that office. Athletics live in one of those middle rings. It’s not in the center, but it’s also not in the perimeter.” Admissions is not just looking for athletes; it is looking for students who are able to show talent in multiple areas. With the help of Mr. Howe and different program leaders, Admissions will be able to accept a healthy ratio of athletes to artists in the upcoming future. Therefore, there will remain a stable balance of the strength in every program. It’s not about making buckets anymore; it’s about hitting the right target.
//JILLIAN CARROLL Associate Editor
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Athletics in Admissions
Girls Hockey Takes Home the Hastings Cup
In
win... has led us to a [competitive] season.” While Renelus does her job to rally her team, her current coach, Ms. Caroline Felicia Renelus ’17, four year senior and Stedman, described her as a “coach’s player.” small forward from from Valley Stream, New Coach Stedman expressed high praise for York, has played basketball all four winters Renelus’s sacrifices for the other 13 players of her Deerfield career. She was named coand the consistent effort which she has given captain of the varsity from the winter of Provided by Felicia Renelus team last year, and 2015 to this February. came into her senior While Renelus season with two years did not make the of experience on varsity team her the varsity team. As freshman year, she of February 17, the worked hard and team’s record is 8-10. eventually stepped Tess Mannix ’20 up to responsibility had high praise for as a starter. “I made her captain, noting [the varsity team] my her charisma and sophomore year but leadership: “She’s never really played always motivating; she often,” Renelus always congratulates remembered. “It was a you, high-fives you. quick turnaround my If you’re having a junior year when I was bad game, [Renelus] Felicia Renelus ’17 brings the ball down the court during starting and playing picks your head up.” the 2015-16 season. the whole game because On her growth we lost a lot of players. throughout her basketball career, Renelus That made me a stronger player to just realize mentioned the importance of having a that I had to really shape up [for the team].” good work ethic and staying positive. Many of the players have followed “Keep working hard, keep doing what you Renelus’s example, and Coach Stedman do best, know what you’re good at and says her girls make up one of the hardest keep working on it,” Renelus reflected. working and competitive teams that she has “Even if you think that right now you’re been a part of since she’s been at Deerfield. not getting a lot of playing time or you’re Renelus’s final advice to younger players: not seeing any improvement, it will come.” “Never feel discouraged [from lack of playing Mannix also commented on Renelus’s time] because your time will come... also competitive drive: “Off the court, she puts in keep working hard. For me, I didn’t play for the extra work, cares about her teammates, half of my Deerfield career and then, things serves as a great leader, and her desire to changed and [they] are going pretty well.”
//FATIMA RASHID Staff Writer
Friday, February 24th, 2017 ⋅ 8
past seven seasons. Deerfield has won the cup for the past two years, while Pomfret won the two before that. The two schools are relatively even in their Hastings Cup winning records, and this even pairing lends itself to more competitive play throughout the game. “The Hastings Cup has become one of those games that we get excited about because we know that there is something more to play for than just the game itself,” commented Deerfield girls varsity hockey Coach Genevieve Pitt. Similarly to the annual Choate game, the Hastings Cup has become a big tradition to look forward to for the girls. During the game, the girls kept their composure and played until the last buzzer. That high intensity level of play was “motivated by wanting to win the Cup and maybe even more so not wanting Pomfret to win the Cup on their home ice,” said Coach Pitt. Winning this game, along with many others this season has shown that the girls “want to win no matter what,” Coach Pitt stated. “This group is a really dedicated, really committed group.” Both the girls and Coach Pitt are looking forward to a strong end to the season.
Welcome, Coach O!
//PHILIP WEYMOUTH Staff Writer
Rowing Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors in 2002 Additionally, she was an assistant coach This fall, Ms. Melanie Onufrieff joined the for the United States National Rowing Deerfield community as the new girls varsity Team during the summers of 2001, 2006, rowing coach and a college advisor. “Coach 2007, and 2008. She helped the the top four O,” as she is often called around campus, rowers win silver at the 2008 Senior World came to Deerfield after coaching rowing at all Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria and levels from high schoolers to Olympic athletes the women’s U23 win gold at the 2007 World on the United States National rowing team. Championships in Strathclyde, Scotland. Ms. Onuffrief’s personal love for rowing Throughout her 21 years of college began her freshman year at the University coaching, she also happened to work with of Pennsylvania when her roommate rowers from Deerfield. Ms. Onufrieff introduced her to the sport. After a swift was always impressed by the particularly introduction and instant “down-to-earth” nature attraction to the sport, Deerfield students Maddie Blake that Ms. Onufrieff made the possessed. She wished “[she] University of Pennsylvania’s could have more of them!” girls varsity rowing team With this experience as a freshman. During her in mind, she began four years on the team, she contemplating the idea of was selected twice for both working here at Deerfield. the Hope Barnes Memorial Upon arriving on campus, Award for Excellence in she instantly fell in love Rowing and the Academic with the community and the All-Ivy League Team. She “passionate” people within it. also served as captain in her She described the junior and senior year. Ms. transition from college to Onufrieff graduated in 1994 prep school as “awesome” with a Bachelor’s in biology. and in fact quite smooth During her coaching because she had also Coach Melanie Onufrieff poses in front of career, she served as an the Dining Hall. coached college freshmen. assistant coach at Princeton Ms. Onufrieff commented, “ University from 1997-98, Rutgers University There is a similarity between what you see in 1999, Clemson University from 2012with a college freshman and what the high 14, and the Baylor School afterwards. school student athlete” looks like. Coach Additionally, she took up head coaching Onufrieff recognized that “there is a good positions at Cornell University for six tradition of success” in Deerfield’s athletics years and Columbia University for seven. program. As she aspires to maintain In the novice Eastern Sprints Competition, Deerfield’s historic competitive drive, she also she directed Princeton to silver and gold wishes to cultivate a “team first” mentality medals 1997 and 1998 respectively and amongst all members of the rowing program. coached the Rutgers boat that placed second Additionally, she is interested in seeing the year after. In 2002, she led the Cornell the novice crew program grow and considers varsity team to the NCAA championships it essential to the overall development of and placed 14th overall nationally. She also rowers. “We don’t row very much here brought the Columbia Lions to their highest compared with what I know,” she observed. ever national ranking at 19th in 2010 and “Fall rowing gives those kinds of students helped coach the Clemson’s varsity 4+ boat a chance to really sink their teeth into it.” that won the ACC championships in 2012. Ms. Onufrieff has been very happy with her Coach Onuffrief was honored with the transition into the Deerfield community and Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing is excited to work with her rowers this spring. Colleges Novice Coach of the Year award Coach Onufrieff hopes to “be involved in not twice (once with Rutgers and again with just the athlete’s life on the athletic side, but Princeton in 1998) and won the Collegiate helping them to develop as a whole person.”