Alexandra Betrus and Alyssa Heinze: Athlete of the Week

The dynamic duo: Alex Betrus and Alyssa Heinze. These two great captains have led the girls’ varsity hockey team through a solid season with their complementing skills and dedication.The girls work together well. Betrus is a calm and collected trusty defender, while Heinze is a more vocal leader up on attack. “They complement each other really well as captains because Heinze is more energetic and intense while Betrus is more laid back,” lower Lexi Butler said. “It works well because sometimes you need one more than the other. They were also really good at taking charge, fixed things when they needed to be fixed and motivated us between periods.”Upper Marley Jenkins also commented on how the girls complemented each other well, “Alyssa is a really good forward and Alex is a great defender so they were able to lead everywhere on the ice.” It seems like these two athletes prove that opposites attract through their effectiveness leading the team. Even Heinze said, “I think we were a good pair. We kind of even each other out. I seemed to be the overly loud and hyperactive one, and Alex definitely was the calm and collected one.”With their different personalities and skills on the ice, the girls provide the team with great leadership. Lower Allegra Grant said, “They were great leaders, and were able to get the team pumped up, motivated and focused during games.” The girls have also helped build great chemistry among teammates. “They were good friends with all of the girls, from preps to seniors. Everyone had a great time,” Jenkins said. Prep Bonnie Labonte continued, “Alex and Heinze are great friends. On and off the ice they are great teammates.”Betrus herself noted, “We’re really close this year compared to before, we don’t spend as much time together outside of hockey as maybe other teams have in the past, but we get along really, really well and we have team dinner every night just because we’re so close.”Heinze agreed with this: her favorite part about playing hockey at Exeter is being on the team, and friendships she has made. “We have had good seasons and bad seasons, but each year I can always look back and say that my favorite part has been spending time with great people every day. It's simple things—like dancing in the locker room to Usher before practice, or team dinners, or hanging out at Pacific's house with the team,” Heinze said. “All of the girls on our team are awesome, and that's my favorite part. And our coaches; the three of them are absolutely hilarious—they're probably what make our team so quirky and weird.”Both girls wished that their E/A game last Saturday went better, to prove the success of their season and the skills of their girls. Betrus and Heinze knew that it was going to be a close game, but did not expect the loss. “I thought we played really well at Andover. It was so frustrating because it was one of those games in which the score doesn't reflect the game at all,” said Heinze. “We fought all the way to the end of the game, even when they scored that unbelievably lucky empty net goal. And that's not something you can say about all teams...but the team we had this year never gave up.” Her explanation of their last game just goes to show how great of a team they have led this year.But their hockey career didn’t start here at Exeter, they have been enjoying the sport since they were young. “I started playing hockey when I was four,” Betrus said. “I’ve been able to skate my whole life, basically since I was two, I just grew up in that world. It’s always been in my life.”Heinze had a different start; she was a dancer, cheerleader and a gymnast all before starting her hockey career, but her two older brothers inspired her to start playing after she watched all of their games. Both Heinze and Betrus played for boys’ teams their whole careers before Exeter and many other outside teams, sometimes even 3 teams at a time.When they came to Exeter, they were both new lowers playing on the hockey team. They have been through their whole Exeter journey together and have nothing but great things to say about each other. “It's been fun,” Heinze said, commenting on the three years she’s spent playing with Betrus. “We were both new lowers so it has been cool to watch her grow as a player. She's always been a solid defensemen, but she definitely stepped it up this year,” Betrus said. “She has a really good work ethic, she tries really hard all the time; she’s been really great to be captain with. We were both the new two hockey players so we’ve been friends since then. It’s been a really great experience going through it all with her.”But they aren’t all about hockey. Betrus plays varsity softball, and also enjoys discrete math and recreational sleeping, claiming to take three naps a day some days. Heinze plays varsity lacrosse in the spring, and her favorite school subject is chemistry. She hopes to be a chemical engineer or an orthopedic surgeon. She also enjoys spending her time doing community service; here, she has been involved with Cor Unum and Salvation Army club.These two amazing players plan on continuing their hockey career into college. Heinze will be going to Dartmouth next year, and while she did not commit for hockey, she plans to still join the team and hopefully have as much of a positive impact there as she has had here at Exeter. Betrus hopes to play hockey wherever she ends up, she said, “It depends where I go, I haven’t committed anywhere yet, but there are a couple places where I can play. I would like to join a team, [and[ if it works out, that’d be great, but I don’t want to make the decision solely on that.”