Athlete of the Week: Matt Asante
Whether he is chasing a soccer ball down the field or running the 4x1 relay for track, senior Matt Asante exemplifies a strong work ethic and willingness to take on new challenges. As co-captain of the track team and a member of the varsity soccer team, he has served as a leader of his teammates and approaches each and every practice with the mindset of working as hard as he can and achieving to his highest potential.
Asante’s soccer career began at age six, when his father’s coworker told him about a local recreation center where children played soccer together. Because Asante had just watched his first game, he was enthusiastic about trying it. He continued to play at the center until he was about 12.
Because Asante grew up playing soccer with other kids his own age, he describes the difficulties of playing on a team with people much older than him when he came to Exeter. After joining the boys’ varsity soccer team as a prep, he had to adapt to the differences. “Being on the soccer team really young and knowing that I wasn’t going to play that much was a challenge,” he explained. He went on to say that “as you play with older kids more, you learn more, and you just get better at it.”
By upper year, however, Asante was playing more. He switched from playing forward and midfield to playing defense, which benefited his strengths more. In addition, the team had an amazing season, coming out with only a few losses. At the end of the season, Asante ended up being one of two uppers selected for the All Star Team at a conference that they played in. “I wasn’t really expecting it. I had put a lot of effort into that season and tried to get better so I was really proud to be recognized,” Asante said.
“Whether it was getting us pumped before a game, leading warm ups or scoring an unreal goal when we needed it most, Matt always contributed to the team with unrivaled humility.”
Lower Dolapo Adedokun, who plays soccer with Asante, considers him not only a friend, but a role model on the team. According to Adedokun, Asante possesses a knack for scoring the most outstanding and unexpected goals. “I remember one game when the team was down 1-0 against St. Paul’s and Matt ripped one from 40 yards out—completely changing everyone’s mentality and attitude towards the game which led us to score five more,” Adedokun recalled.
Prep Jonah Johnson, who also played on the soccer team with Asante, described him as a quiet leader. “Whether it was getting us pumped before a game, leading warm ups or scoring an unreal goal when we needed it most, Matt always contributed to the team with unrivaled humility,” Johnson said.
According to Asante, the most important thing he’s learned from soccer is working as a team. Between practices and games, the team is able to grow extremely close due to its small size. However, he explains that “track isn’t like that in terms of the team dynamic.”
Asante had never run track before coming to Exeter. He joined the team his prep year and found it extremely inclusive and welcoming, which encouraged him to continue despite feeling as though he wasn’t as good as the other people on it. “The kids who were fast were so much faster than I was, and I was getting hurt at first a lot in the Winter because you’re not used to it,” he said. However, he was didn’t let this hold him back. “I saw who was good, and they still put a lot of time and effort into it. That showed me what I had to be willing to do in order to be better,” Asante said, going on to explain how track has helped him develop his work ethic.
As one of the few members of the team to have qualified for Eastern States this year, Asante’s dedication and hard work has certainly paid off. His commitment to the team was recognized by his fellow teammates last year when he was voted captain. Even after coming out of a tough winter season, in which he was unable to compete due to injuries, he went into the spring season of his upper year ready to take on new challenges. Asante attributes much of his success that season to the encouragement of his teammates, who motivated him to do better. “I ended up having a better season that I thought I was going to have,” he said. “I was proud that the other kids on the team thought that I was a positive member of the team enough to vote me as one of the captains.”
Adedokun, who is also on the track team with Asante, describes him as diligent and hardworking. According to Adedokun, Asante has risen above expectations and achieved potential beyond what people imagined him capable of. “He believed in himself. He’s the type of guy to stay after practice...that athlete that does extra in the weight room,” he said, adding that Asante is “the type of player to grind and sweat when nobody is watching.”
Senior Chudi Ikpeazu echoed this sentiment, recollecting a time when the two of them both stayed after practice to run an extra 300 meters. “This one workout prep year, we were doing 300 meter repeats and at the end, all the preps left, then all the lowers left, and it was just the seniors and Matt and I. And we stayed and did that one more and that stuck in my mind.”
Not only has Asante excelled in terms of his personal accomplishments, but he has served as a supportive member of the track team and a leader to his teammates. “He likes to cheer for people during meets,” Ikpeazu said, adding that “he’s a helpful person all around on the team.”
As someone who his teammates look up to, Asante has proven himself a dedicated and dependable athlete. “He’s a reliable runner,” Adedokun said, going on to add that “you can always count on him to do the dirty work no one else wants to do. Whether it’s running the last 4x4 or doing multiple events, Matt is really someone we can count on.”