Standing at six feet two inches, four-year Senior Jakob Beckwith ’17 has played an integral role on Andover Boys Volleyball this season, according to his teammates. After joining the team during his Junior year without any prior involvement in the sport, Beckwith’s strong work ethic has contributed to his development and shaped him into one of the team’s current starting players.
Richard Zhong ’17 wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “Jakob has been an integral teammate and is the team’s greatest weapon when it comes to diving for balls.”
“Jakob has by far the most injuries out of every player, which reflects his dedication to the team surpassing his care for his own health. He is, and will always be, one of our greatest assets,” continued Zhong.
Head Coach Clyfe Beckwith wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “Jakob is certainly deserving of an accolade for his play, his effort on the court, throwing his body left, right, and especially to the floor with reckless abandon in defense mode.”
Because of his admirable dedication to his sport, and his reliable capability to move to the ball, Jakob Beckwith has earned the title of The Phillipian’s Athlete of the Week.
What was your volleyball experience before coming to Andover?
Zero. Other than the fact that I had been to a couple of games with my dad and that his team would come over for dinner sometimes after their games. My dad played volleyball at Dartmouth and has coached the team here my entire life. I remember there always being a really fun team atmosphere even though I was scared because I was so much younger than the players.
How would you describe your experience on Boys Varsity Volleyball?
Over the years it has changed dramatically. This year, the team is way more cohesive and has much better chemistry than it has had in past years — I’m not really sure why. My first year on the team, as a Lower, it was kind of intimidating because the team was full of very loud Seniors, to say the least. It wasn’t the most inclusive team environment, but everyone was still really nice. Last year was the season that I was really able to stand out, as so many of the seniors from the previous year graduated. I really started to get used to the style of play and the faster Varsity game play. Freshman year, I played JV and it was a blast.
What position do you play?
I play middle hitter specifically, so I stand in the middle of the court closest to the net.
What goals do you have for the season?
As a member of the team, I really want to win the tournament and beat Exeter, especially because they are an awesome team that happens to be most similar to us stylistically. Because of our chemistry, the team should be doing really well this season, but our record doesn’t really show it. I’m not really sure what’s going wrong, but I hope we can fix it before the end of the season.
What are some things you like to do besides volleyball?
I like to watch a lot of movies — I’m a moviebuff. I also love hanging out with my friends. I like to play soccer a bit on the side too, since I gave up playing on the team a few years ago to try other things.