president of Hamill House, where he is currently a prefect, staged a very competitive race for School president last year. Though he finished a close second to Yiannis Vandris ’17, Wingfield says the experience was invaluable to his development. “It was an amazing process. I learned so much from it. I definitely became a much better public speaker, a much better leader,’ he says. “I wish I could’ve won – I’m extremely competitive – but I’m still happy with where I am now.” On the field, Wingfield says it’s been easy to buy into the coaching staff’s plan, and he is looking forward to seeing it come together on the field. Coach Flaherty is building something special. I don’t think there is anyone who cares more about what they do than him, and he’s definitely having a great impact on Lawrenceville football,” he says. “He has brought along this notion that we have to do everything bigger and better than every other
program in the nation. He constantly drills into us that we have to do things like we’re the best, so with everything we do, there’s just a greater focus and a greater intensity.” Wingfield says Flaherty and assistant coach Drew Inzer, who starred in the Ivy League for Princeton and Brown, respectively, before stints in the NFL, were also vital in helping him see the value of football in the Ancient 8. “Both hammered into my head that I’m not sacrificing football by making this decision [to go to Harvard], so they were essential for me throughout this whole process,” says Wingfield, who will join a program that captured the 2015 Ivy League title and a head coach, Tim Murphy, who has sent a dozen players to the NFL. “I wanted to go to a winning program, and Harvard’s been doing it pretty well over the last twenty or so years with Coach Murphy.”
Flaherty says Wingfield can play a pivotal role in that success if he upholds his work ethic. “The fact that he brings [major conference] talent to the Ivy League suggests that he has the potential to play early and often, and to be a force in that league,” he says. “The guys who have the most success in any league are those who are able to block out the depth chart, humble themselves, and just compete one day at a time; the cream rises to the top. And Isaiah has both the hunger and the humility to become a great player for the Crimson.” Before he packs his bags, however, Wingfield is focused on this fall and wants to leave Lawrenceville on a high note. “I don’t think a lot of people are expecting us to compete for the MAPL, but I think we’re going to wake some people up,” he says. “I’m really excited to get on the field and let everyone see what we’ve got.”
On the field and off, Isaiah Wingfield (11) rises above the crowd.
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