Choate is often recognized for the incredible accomplishments of some of its most esteemed alumni. A few of Choate’s most notable names are President John F. Kennedy ’35, Paul Mellon ’25, Michael Douglas ’63, with alumni specializing in topics ranging from architecture to philanthropy. However, a great deal of Choate’s most famous alums hail from the sports fields, or, well, ice surfaces. Choate has had 8 Olympians, and a total of 13 Olympic medals, two of which have been gold (Bob McVey ‘54 and Angela Ruggiero ’98). Three athletes are particularly noteworthy: Chris Denorfia ’98, an outfielder in the MLB, is currently battling to help the Cubs win their first World Series in 107 years; Hilary Knight ’07 has played for two US Olympic Hockey teams, winning the silver medal in both 2010 and in 2014, and now plays in the National Women’s Hockey League; and most recently, Will Harris ’15 is in the midst of his freshman year at Boston College, where he’s a defensive back. Harris has already recorded two interceptions for BC, as well as four tackles in his first four games.
Chris Denorfia grew up only 20 minutes from Choate in Southington, Connecticut. After a big growth spurt going into his junior year at 16, Denorfia began to shine as a second baseman at Choate, attracting the attention of college scouts. After Choate, Chris moved on to Wheaton College, where he studied international relations and Hispanic studies, simultaneously breaking school records with his .467 batting average and eventually attracting major league attention. Denorfia was drafted in the 19th round of the 2002 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds but didn’t see his first glimpses of big league ball until 2005. In 2006, he played a total of 49 games with the Reds while moving back and forth between Cincinnati and their AAA affiliate. In 2007, Denorfia was traded to the Oakland Athletics, where he began to struggle. He sat out the entire 2007 season after Tommy John’s surgery and only saw 62 at-bats in 2008. In 2009, Denorfia was traded again to the San Diego Padres, where he revived his career, playing 573 games, with 456 hits and 33 HRs from 2009 to 2014. After a short stint with the Mariners, Denorfia found himself signing a one-year contract with the Cubs worth $2.6 million. Batting .269 during the regular season, Chris and the Cubs are now fighting for their first World Series title since 1908, the longest championship drought of any American sport team.
Hilary Knight grew up in Lake Forest, Illinois. She won a New England Championship her senior year at Choate, which she said was her “absolute favorite moment at Choate.” After her success at Choate, Hilary went on to play for the University of Wisconsin, where in only her freshman year, she tallied 38 points. She was also 7th among rookies in points per game, as well as 3rd in the entire NCAA for her 12 multi-point games. Over the course of her career at Wisconsin, Knight accumulated 262 points and became the Badgers All-Time leader in goals (143), game-winning goals (30), power-play goals (37), and short-handed goals (8). However, Knight took leave from Wisconsin in 2010 to play for the U.S. National team at the 2010 Olympics, where she led the team to a silver medal with eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) in five games. Also on the 2010 US Olympic team with Knight were Choate alums Angela Ruggiero ’98 and Julie Chu ’01. In speaking of the two, Knight said, “I consider them [Ruggiero and Chu] as mentors. When I was at Choate, I would see their pictures on the wall and always aspired to follow in their footsteps.” At her second Olympics at Sochi in 2014, Knight had six points (3 goals, 3 assists), again earning the silver medal. Hilary currently plays in the newly founded National Women’s Hockey League for the Boston Pride and recently led the World Championship Tournament in points on the way to a first place finish for the U.S.
As a recent Choate graduate, Will Harris has not yet achieved a résumé of the same magnitude of Knight or Denorfia; however, he certainly is well on his way. In his first game with Boston College, he recorded an interception, helping BC to a 24-3 win over Maine. In addition, Harris has played in games against opponents of the likes of Duke, #5 Clemson, and Northern Illinois. During his time at Choate, Harris played both sides of the line, where he was a huge target for friend and quarterback John Fadule ’15, also now playing at Boston College. Harris’s 6’2”, 193 lb. frame helped him to dominate at the Founder’s League level and now certainly helps among the college ranks.
Harris, in his time at Choate, also ran the 100m Dash and the long jump for the Track and Field team. He placed 3rd in the 100m and 4x100m at the New England Championship last spring and was the New England Champion in the long jump, a clear testament to Harris’s natural athletic ability. With a hot start to his football career at BC, Will Harris has all the time in the world to catch up to his fellow Wild Boar alumni in the professional leagues, Denorfia and Knight.
