Outdoor Track
The GDS track team is still at the beginning of its season but is already showcasing a wide range of talents. The team has participated in four meets so far.
At their first meet, which took place on March 16 at St. Albans, the men’s team placed second of three teams, while the women’s team placed third of three. The team had athletes competing in the women’s shot put and discus events, which it had previously not entered. GDS performed well in both events, with freshman Finley Meyer (a writer for the Augur Bit) placing fourth of ten in the shot put and freshman Tristan Fulton placing second of ten in the discus.
The school had many high-performing runners at the meet, with GDS runners clinching the top three spots in the men’s 100-meter dash, led by junior Kovan Smith, and the top two spots in the men’s 200- and 400-meter events, with juniors Will Babcock and Zach Kovner each finishing first in their respective races. GDS was also victorious in the men’s 4×400 relay. In the women’s 100-meter dash, a GDS runner, freshman Alexandra Solomon, came first of 25, with GDS’ next two finishers coming sixth and twelfth, respectively.
At the STA/NCS home meet #2 on Apr. 4, the team also did well. Juniors Nathaniel Mintzer, Smith and Kovner and seniors Bryan Chapman, Shiv Raman and Ashok Tate all placed first in their respective races. Sophomores Izzie Hsu and Seva Rustgi also finished first in their events.
This season features a different team from last year, as 24 athletes from the class of 2022 are no longer on the team. Fifteen freshmen, many of whom joined the outdoor track team this season, have already made their mark on the team by placing highly in various events. The team’s next meet will be at St. Albans on Wednesday, Apr. 19.
– Molly Kurtzer-Ellenbogen ’26
Baseball
Men’s varsity baseball is getting into its regular season, which is led by three senior captains — Pierson Cooper, Ben Carter and Luca Pedroni. The team this year has a lot of experience, with returning varsity players being the starting players.
Last year’s team had a 3–9 record in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC), placing fifth out of seven teams. This year’s team has played a few league games after preseason scrimmages.
The varsity team lost dominant players, including Noah Shelton ’22 and Ken Bailey ’22. The team has been trying to fill the void, particularly in their pitching, head coach Todd Carter said in an interview. The team’s offense is one of its stronger features this year.
The team prepared for its season with off-season training. “I think we are improving but still a long way from where we need to be,” Todd Carter said after a scrimmage against Jackson-Reed High School.
Todd Carter said he is excited about both the varsity and junior-varsity teams. This year GDS has brought in a few new coaches: Jack Conway as the assistant varsity coach and Tyler Smith as the head coach of the junior-varsity team.
“Each person needs to be their best selves, and we will be able to be successful,” Todd Carter said as his team began the new season.
The men’s varsity team will play at Flint Hill School on Tuesday, Apr. 18 and will play in a doubleheader against Sidwell Friends School on Apr. 22 at Sidwell Friends School.
– Sloane Holder ’25
Men’s Lacrosse
The GDS men’s lacrosse team started the season with a bang, proving themselves a formidable force on the field. In their first scrimmage of the season, on Apr. 8 against Maret, the team dominated the competition with an impressive 20–2 victory. During the scrimmage, freshman Thomas Jones IV and junior Talin Sidhu (a team captain) stood out, each contributing four goals.
Their win comes after the team left the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC), which they participated in during previous years. Leaving the MAC has proven to be a challenge for athletic director David Gillespie, who has to organize games individually now that the team is no longer in a league.
The team is led by its three captains: Sidhu and seniors Kofi Pobee and Nick Mohr.
Freshman Benjamin Gold told the Bit that many players seemed discouraged after the team left its conference. Gold, a midfielder on the team, said that many on the team “started the season with a losing mindset,” leading players to “doubt themselves and their capabilities.”
Gold, having just joined the team, said that he assumed the team was going to be bad. However, he now feels that they can compete with other teams and should be in the MAC. The players are aware that membership (along with an appearance in a playoff tournament) is not possible this season but are now “encouraged to set a foundation for future success,” according to Gold.
The lacrosse team will play an away game at Sidwell Friends School on Tuesday, Apr. 18 and will play in GDS’ Sports Saturday on Apr. 22.
– Henry Wachs ’26
Women’s Lacrosse
GDS’ women’s lacrosse team started their season with a game against National Cathedral School (NCS) on March 10 after a preseason of practices and scrimmages. The team won on Apr. 6 against Madeira in overtime. Sophomore Jessica Berger said that the game “was a really great way to start our season. It was really exciting.”
Junior Sophia Newkirk pointed out the importance of the new players to the team. “We have a lot of incoming freshmen, and a lot of them are really good,” Newkirk said. “Most importantly, they all bring enthusiasm and dedication to learning, and they’re very coachable,” she added.
Newkirk also noted the coaches, who she said are great. Newkirk mentioned coaches C.A. Pilling and Parker Benedict. Newkirk said that Benedict “really knows what she is doing,” has helpful feedback and “makes practice super fun.”
One of the other coaches, Mary Beth Cisneros, has two kids who play lacrosse for GDS. Pilling and Cisneros are also coaches for the middle school team.
“We are trying to build to keep kids on the team and involved in the sport,” Benedict said. The captains of this year’s team are seniors Asha Adiga-Biro and Nora Smulson.
Last year, the team defeated Maret in the ISL quarterfinals but lost to NCS in the semifinals.
The team’s next game will be against Sidwell Friends School on Tuesday, Apr. 18.
– Finley Meyer ’26
Softball
So far this season, the GDS softball team has had a 2–1 overall record and a 1–0 record in the Independent School League (ISL). The team won against Bullis 20–12 on March 22 and against DC International 14–10 on Apr. 10. The team lost to National Cathedral School 18–1 on Apr. 13. The team also played Episcopal High School, but the game was suspended due to rain with one inning left.
Last year the softball team was in the AA Division, the upper division of the ISL. However, the team finished in last place in the AA Division and was relegated this year to the lower A division. Head coach Donna Stallworth thinks the team will do better this year than last. “I am looking forward to a fairly good competition,” she said.
Senior and co-captain Elena Forlini thought the team had potential last year and “made some great plays.” But, once the team “got out onto the field, the pressure…got to us, and we definitely could not follow through on the potential we had,” she said.
Stallworth thought that the team last year “ended the season pretty well.” She pointed out the team’s growth. “With us putting in the work, we were able to take a season that was a little rocky, in the beginning, to end on a pretty decent season,” she said.
The team expects to do better this year. “We have some freshmen that are really good this year, and I am really excited about that,” Forlini said.
This season, the team is looking to keep energy and spirits high. Forlini wants to ensure the team is “following through on those easy plays that we are able to make.”
The team’s next games will be on Apr. 18 at Sidwell and Apr. 20 at Holy Child. The softball team will also play in the upcoming Sports Saturday against Madeira on Apr. 22.
– Sabine Hletko Wood ’26
CORRECTION (May 21 at 3:05 p.m.): The article originally misspelled the name of a lacrosse team captain. She is named Asha Adiga-Biro, not Asha Adigo-Biro.