Athletes of the Week: Billy Menken & Jake Gehron

With a tight 2–3 loss against Milton, jamborees and pre-season under their belts, the boys’ varsity soccer team has already begun the season strong, led on and off the field by senior captains Billy Menken and Jake Gehron

Menken began his career in soccer long before his Exeter days. In fact, he spent much of his time from age four and up playing with his brothers. “We played for our city team, Woodbury in Minnesota, and we had a great time together,” he said. “It was special for me and my brothers.”

Menken has been a powerful presence on the varsity team since his prep year. Over the past four seasons, he has continued to improve on the field, according to Varsity Soccer Coach AJ Cosgrove. “It has been clear that Billy was a good player since eighth grade when he sent in a video of him playing before attending Exeter,” he said. “However, it was physically challenging for him on the field because he was very tiny. The biggest difference between his game now and when he showed up is that he’s just so much stronger and really able to dictate the play.”

Now, Menken is one of the strongest on the team. “He can play ninety minutes in the middle of the field, which is a testament to his fitness,” Cosgrove said. “Since he trained hard this summer, he showed up this fall in the best shape he’s been in across all four years.”

Jake Gehron, on the other hand, arrived to the Exeter team as a new lower. Due to consistent time and energy during his upper year, he has substantially improved his game, Cosgrove noted. “At first, his work ethic off the ball was not as strong as it needed to be,” he said. “Then, last year, he made a big step up and was able to lead our team in scoring. He’s probably got the best shot on the team.”

In terms of technique, Gehron finds that “[he] always ended up being a playmaker and creating chances for my team.” As a striker, he classifies himself as fast instead of big and bulky. “I like to get in behind the opposition’s defense and have chances to score that way. I’m pretty good at finishing the ball, which is scoring goals.”

Gehron appreciates his position because, as a new lower, he found the team to be his first home at Exeter. “I really had a good kickstart to my career here, just because of who was on the team,” he said. “Pre-season my first year really helped me make new friends… You do everything as a team—you eat together, you sleep in the same dorm, you spend all [your] time together.”

Looking forward to his final year, Gehron hopes to maintain the sense of community he found in the soccer team as a player. “Even now, we still eat dinner together every night,” he said. We still hang out, do homework together. It’s really part of the whole deal here—family is everything for us.”

To do this, Gehron and Menken maintain a number of traditions. “On Fridays, we wear silly outfits to practice. Last Friday, Billy wore a completely yellow outfit with volts, highlighter socks, highlighter shorts and then a golf polo,” Gehron said. “We love it. That’s always funny.”

With the large amount of team experience shared between the two captains, Cosgrove believes that the captains will foster a positive team dynamic. “Over the course of the 18-game season, there are gonna be high points and low points,” he said. “I will count on them to help create a good experience for the team—their legacy will be the culture of the team that they leave behind.”

To ensure that his leadership style best suits the team, Gehron has also enrolled in Leadership in Sports, an Exeter Innovations course. “My chemistry teacher actually recommended it to me last year, and I’m taking it with a current [postgraduate] who is also on the team,” he said. “I do it because I’m a captain. I should be a leader of the team, and I’m taking [the course] so that I can learn more about what that means.”

Upper Matthew Chen believes that the two captains work well together, as they have beginning in preseason.  “[Menken] and [Gehron] have obvious chemistry together; they’re always on the same page with regards to what we want to do as a team, and together they instill confidence into us as a team through their light-hearted nature and excellent play,” Chen said.

Similarly, upper Matthew Ngai looks forward to a strong season. “I think we will have a great season—our team was very young last year and this year we have a mix of great soccer talent as well as physicality,” he said. “Everyone knows their role in the team and I think we are expecting great things from ourselves this season. The captains have set the tone early on and they will be key to motivating us to keep going throughout all the games to come.”

While the captains have different leadership styles, together they have a tangible positive influence on the team, lower Jonathan Jean-Baptiste explained. “Billy is a leader who leads by example and he always gives 100% both during practice and during the games,” he said. “Jake is also a leader—when times get tough during games, you’ll see him constantly working hard. He critiques players and gives advice in order to benefit the player along with the team.”

Looking forward, Gehron is eager to see how he and Menken’s leadership styles will complement each other. “We’re kind of opposites in some ways, but it works,” Gehron said, emphasizing Menken’s intelligence and his own interpersonal skills. “Billy and I are really excited for the season—we’re excited to represent our team and this community.”