Athlete of the Week: Nick du Pont

The defense calls for slides and rotations, as senior co-captain Nick du Pont draws his defender out to the 30 yard line. All of a sudden, he sprints down the field and takes a shot. The net ripples and the crowd bursts into a roar. In a young Exeter lacrosse team, du Pont is a multi-position leader, starter in attack and a second line midfielder.Du Pont started lacrosse at a young age, playing on a school program in third grade and later on his town’s travel team in New York. When he came to Exeter, he was put straight onto the varsity roster after his tryout, becoming the only prep on the varsity lacrosse team that year.Since his prep year, his lacrosse skills have improved tremendously. One of the biggest factors to his improvement has been his physical growth.“I came into Exeter 5’11’ and now I am 6’3’’,” du Pont said. “My prep year, I was in the middle of growing so I was very awkward on land. I just hadn’t grown into my body yet. Growing in to my body and my size has been one of the biggest things in my development. I have more muscle now to match my height so I have become more balanced and more athletic.”The team chemistry of his lacrosse teams over the years has also helped du Pont adjust to high school level lacrosse, especially mentally. When du Pont joined the team, he did not expect to fit in as the only prep. But his teammates welcomed him with open arms and proved to be great role models both on and off the field.Du Pont recalled an example of the inclusive atmosphere his teammates fostered on the squad his prep year. After getting back after 8 p.m from a Wednesday afternoon game, the coach was not allowed to host practice the next day, so the captains hosted one instead. But this was no ordinary practice: the entire team went out on to the field in tank tops, short shorts and sat around tanning for two hours.“It was a lot of fun just because we got to bond over various team activities and conversations,” du Pont said. “And even though I was a prep, I felt really comfortable with everyone on the team because of the openness of all the seniors, especially the captains.”This year, as one of the three co-captains, du Pont has had the opportunity to repay the help he received from past captains by always encouraging this year’s team to play together and by serving as a role model and working his hardest, whether it is after a tough loss, long practice, or a win.

Upper Morgan Burrell recognized the great leadership that du Pont brings to the team.“Nick du Pont inspires all of us on the team through his continuous hard work [and] effort, which shows in practice and in games, and his ability to keep a level head even when the game seems to be sliding away from the best players,” Burrell said.Du Pont also shows his drive during games. He is always the first player to chase down a ground ball or cause a turnover by hunting down opposing midfielders.“He is just one of the hardest workers on the team and that is what makes him good,” prep Tamer Sullivan said. “All thetough ground balls, he is always the first one in there, the first one to come out of the scrum with the ball. He plays with a lot of heart and a lot of energy and really brings it every time he is out there.”Upper Nick Grounds described a specific moment where du Pont’s leadership skills and hard work ethic both really stood out. On Principal’s Day, the coach of the lacrosse team, Bill Glennon, decided to give the team a day off. But after having lost a game recently, du Pont sent out an email to the team inviting everyone to a coach's practice to help the team improve and avoid future losses. Du Pont is always willing to sacrifice free time to help both him and his team improve.Not only does du Pont captain the varsity lacrosse team, he also led the varsity water polo team this past fall. His water polo career began prep fall, following in the footsteps of both his brother Pierre ‘12 and sister Grace ‘08. As in lacrosse, du Pont always demonstrated hard work in water polo.Senior and fellow water polo captain Joe Shepley lauded du Pont’s determination in games.“What makes him such a good athlete in general is his drive to never give up,” Shepley said. “I saw that mostly playing water polo. He wouldn’t give up. He would really battle it out and give it his all.”Water polo co-captain and senior JB Baker also commented on du Pont’s presence in water polo.

“Nick is like a combination of strength and skill that is almost unmatched in our water polo league,” Baker said. “Nick is a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger than most players so he is able to dominate a lot of them which is great for him.”And to top it all off, du Pont is also a varsity swimmer. Du Pont first joined the swim team at Exeter during upper year after receiving a concussion from JV hockey and learning that if he received another one he would never be able to play contact sports again. Although at first he planned to just half swim, half manage, he soon discovered he was excellent at swimming the breaststroke, placing fifth in Interschols his upper year, and second his senior year.“Nick really overperformed starting from the manager spot to becoming the second best breast stroker in all of New England, which no one really expected, but it is an incredible feat that I have never seen accomplished by anyone else,” Baker said. “That is just typical Nick, a lot of talent and he put a lot of work into that so it is something to be really proud of for him.”This season, du Pont is tasked with leading the development of a young team (four preps and ten lowers). The boys have accrued a respectable record of 9-4 so far this season, and look to continue their success through the final weeks of the year.