As uniforms change, seasons renew, and new pelicans are brought in, one thing that remains the same is the lasting legacy that Loomis Chaffee athletes leave behind. Whether on the soccer field, the hockey rink, or the track, the impact that graduates have carries over beyond their sport. 

Mason DeBruyn ’21 on Tyler Delgado ’19

Former varsity football linebacker Tyler Delgado ’19 left the Island to play Division 1 football at Monmouth University. Not only did he find success on the field, but he also served as a role model to former teammate Mason Debruyn ’21. 

“He lived in the weight room. I tried to learn from that and copy his motives, and his push, and his drive,” Mason said.

Tyler was a senior when Mason joined the football team as a newly recruited sophomore. The pair both played linebacker in football and threw javelin in track and field.

“He has a Loomis javelin record … something I was trying to push myself to come close to,” Mason said.

Tyler was a leader in both football and school. “He wanted to help every single individual excel as much as they possibly could,” Mason said.

Even though Tyler has graduated, he keeps in touch and continues to serve as a mentor to Mason.

“He still has reached out to me… asked me about how college recruiting is going… given me advice on things I should do on and off the field,” Mason said. 

Elinor Keehn ’21 on Bree Bergeron ’20

Former girls varsity hockey captain Bree Bergeron ’20 joined the Island her sophomore year, playing on varsity all three of her years. She now plays Division 1 hockey at Merrimack College. 

“She was a really great leader in the sense that she really stuck to her morals,” Elinor said.

Bree was a leader on the hockey rink and a person on campus that people knew they could talk to.

“If you ever asked her for advice, she would be really genuinely invested in you and she would give you really good advice because she wanted to see you succeed,” Elinor said.

Elinor is currently a captain of the varsity hockey and field hockey teams and brings Bree’s mentality with her.  

“She was definitely a come-with-me teammate… not just sitting there and telling people what to do but kind of like ‘okay here come with me and we’ll do it together’… That’s one thing that has really inspired me to be the kind of leader I am today,” Elinor said. 

Sofia Preuss ’23 on Megan Lam ’20

Former girls varsity soccer player Megan Lam ’20 made her varsity debut her junior and senior years. Megan met and welcomed varsity soccer player Sofia Preuss ’23 during Sofia’s recruitment.

Megan served as a leader on the team and brought a special joy to the girl’s team.

“She had a lot of grit and feist to her so she was always the one… hyping up everyone and making everyone super pumped to play… She was that person that made going to soccer fun for everyone,” Sofia said.

The freshman-senior duo played defense and warmed up together. During games, Sofia admired Megan’s composure.

“As a new freshman, I was always really frantic… Megan was always so calm, and she made me realize that I should just be playing the way I need to play instead of worrying what everyone else thinks,” Sofia said.

As one of two freshmen on varsity her first year, Sofia mentioned she was timid, and Megan helped her become less shy.

“Megan helped me come out of my shell on not only the team but Loomis in general,” Sofia said.