Nine Deerfield Academy student athletes make college commitments

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

Staff Writer

Published: 12-08-2020 6:22 PM

Deerfield Academy held its National Letter of Intent Signing Day on Nov. 7, with nine Big Green senior athletes signing on to continue their athletic careers at the next level. 

It’s a wide-ranging group of athletes, led by the men’s lacrosse team which sent five players off to play at the next level. Two players from the baseball team, one women’s rower and a girls’ hockey player also signed their letters of intent. 

Michael Scharfenberger, Griffin Schutz, Thomas Stull, Matis Cole and Kade Goldberg all signed to play lacrosse in college, while Keri Clougherty signed to play ice hockey. Katrina Csaky will continue her rowing career at the next level while Thomas Leimkuhler and Tyler Mudd will be playing baseball in college. 

“While you’ve been here at Deerfield, as part of our student body and a member on our teams, we’ve come to admire your many talents that have helped shape our teams and created good team culture,” Deerfield athletic director Bobb Howe said at the signing ceremony. “As a community of teachers, coaches, school staff and classmates we are proud of the recognition that you receive today and wish you many more successes in the years ahead.”

All five signees from the men’s lacrosse team chose different schools. Scharfenberger signed to Georgetown, Schutz chose Virginia, Stull signed on to play at Richmond, Cole at Michigan and Goldberg at North Carolina. 

Scharfenberger, a goaltender, is a four-year varsity player for Deerfield Academy. He is known for his communication in the back end and his ability to create quick offense after saves with strong outlet passes. 

Schutz is another four-year varsity player for the Big Green, playing both as a midfielder and attackman. Also a running back and linebacker on the football team, his experience on the gridiron translates to the lacrosse field, using his size and strength to overpower opponents driving to the net. He’ll be joining a Cavalier team that is the defending national champions, winning the title in 2019 with the 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19. 

Stull has been with DA for three years, playing in the midfield as a long stick. His versatility made him appealing to colleges, as he’s able to both defend and generate offense for his team. Cole is a two-year player for the Big Green and should make an impact with the Wolverines as a faceoff man. 

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Goldberg is another versatile midfielder who has been with Deerfield Academy for three years. At UNC, he’ll be playing alongside former teammate Luca Antongiovanni. 

Clougherty signed on to play women’s ice hockey at Boston College. A defenseman, she joined the Big Green last season and was an immediate leader on the back end. 

Csaky is joining Scharfenberger at Georgetown, where she’ll compete on the women’s rowing squad. The Dallas native started at DA her freshman year before going back to her hometown her sophomore year, where she competed on the local club, Dallas United. She competed at the US Rowing Youth National Championship before returning to the Big Green her junior year, but like all spring athletes, wasn’t able to compete last season. 

Both Leimkuhler and Mudd signed on to play baseball at Holy Cross, with the two continuing on as teammates for their college careers. 

Leimkuhler is known around the program for his leadership being named a captain for the upcoming season. A three-year varsity starter, he picked up two wins and two saves on the mound as a sophomore. He can also add depth in the middle infield and outfield to Holy Cross. 

Mudd is also a captain for the Big Green this spring, being a three-year starter for the team. An outfielder, Mudd is a great athlete with a solid arm and range all over the diamond. He also bats at the top of the lineup with power to hit to any end of the field. 

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