Baseball
The men’s varsity and junior varsity baseball teams have kicked off their preseason with lift days in the High School’s weight room. Many players participate in winter sports as well, such as wrestling and track and field, so full practices have been limited. Their first official practice was on Feb. 26.
Last year the team welcomed two new coaches. Coach Jack Conway is the assistant head coach for the varsity team, and Tyler Smith is the JV head coach. Shawn Miller is the head coach for the varsity team. The team has new talent coming from the middle school, with ten freshmen joining the team this season, as well as strong leadership from older players like senior Tommy Antonipillai, who announced his commitment to play baseball at Denison University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III school.
The varsity baseball team concluded their previous season with a 5-7 record in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC). They had a 5-10 record altogether. The team played in the quarterfinals of the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) tournament, where they lost to St. Albans, the eventual tournament winners.
Their first game of the season will be on March 12 at Bullis. On April 3 the team will play against Flint Hill, who prevented them from advancing in the MAC playoffs last year.
– By Sophie Gresens ’26
Softball
The women’s softball team is getting ready for the upcoming season. Donna Stallworth, head coach and chair of the middle school physical education department, will be assisted by Bryan Williams, a middle school math teacher.
The team is grateful to be able to compete this year, due to initial concerns about a lack of players. Four of the team’s 13 players from the 2023 season graduated, and some others initially decided not to return. In an email sent out by Athletic Director David Gillespie on January 20, the softball team had fewer than ten players listed. However, after last-minute sign-ups it had enough players to field a team.
“We originally thought we wouldn’t be able to play this season because we only had seven people, but now that we do have a team our goal is to have fun,” junior Gracie Schuham-Anders said. The team has 13 players listed on the roster, with two seniors, Roam Redington and Ella Lynn, who, according to Schuham-Anders, are the team’s best players.
The team plays in the A division, (a division lower than AA) of the ISL, where they went 3-5 in the 2023 season and placed fourth of seven schools. They lost to Madeira in the quarterfinals of the ISL A division tournament and did not play in the DCSAA tournament.
The team started practices on Monday, Feb. 26, and will play against Bullis in a scrimmage on March 12. They will have their first official game against DCI on March 15 and will face Holy Child in their first in-division game on March 19.
– Finley Meyer ’26
Track and Field
The spring track and field team is looking forward to a meaningful final season for the seniors, as well as a chance for the incoming freshmen to fill their shoes.
According to head coach Anthony Belber, the team has a lot of experienced, high-performing male sprinters and a strong group of long distance runners. Junior Julia Young, a distance runner, told the Bit that the “distance team is great and very reminiscent of the cross country team.” Therefore, Belber expects to continue the success they had last spring, including winning a coveted wheel at the annual Penn Relays and winning the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) for the first time since 2015.
Belber also noted that he wants to ensure that the runners are “developing as individuals as well as developing as a team,” emphasizing the importance of community.
Junior Naomi Borek said that she is looking forward to “bonding with the team,” saying that “the energy of spring track is upbeat and unique.”
Freshman Paloma Evans agreed that she is eager to “be a part of the spring track community” and “meet more upperclassmen.” With a significant portion of the runners graduating this year, the coaches are making an effort to recruit underclassmen.
Many of the spring runners participated in winter track to stay in shape for the spring season. Belber described the importance of the winter season as a means to “prepare the runners.” He hoped to build off of the winter season by “developing power and speed while also intensifying the training.”
The first meet of the season is on March 13 at St. Albans.
– By Willa Wible ’27
Tennis
After a long offseason, the GDS men’s varsity tennis team prepares for their upcoming season this spring.
According to head coach Kelly Sykes, the team seems to be “locked in” for the season ahead. He said they are ready to “work on both their development and their team culture.” He also said that the team feels prepared for their games and that as a new coach to the GDS team, he is excited to see them in action.
The team did well in the 2023 season, finishing second out of seven teams in the MAC with a 5-1 in-division record, and went 8-3 overall. One player, junior Isaac Seiken, was named MAC All-League. The team lost to Potomac, whom they had beaten less than a month before during the regular season, in the semifinal of the MAC tournament.
According to both Sykes, the team has good chemistry and will work well together, specifically playing doubles and showing support for one another. As their coach, Sykes wants to continue their bond as teammates while building each individual’s strength as a player.
In the past, Sykes has trained seniors Ben Fitzpayne and Hudson Brown outside of GDS.
Looking forward to his last season, senior Juju Jinich comments that the team “want[s] to compete in the MAC and do as best [as they] can.” Fitzpayne is also “looking forward to the culmination of a lot of hard work that’s gone into tennis the last four years.” They both are hoping for a fun season as well.
In the team setting both Jinich and Fitzpayne agree that they want to upgrade the “community and support [of] each other.” They hope to see the players as a “unified team” versus a focus on individual games and players. Fitzpayne also notes that “mental toughness” is needed in tennis, and that is something that should be improved.
Other seniors playing on the team this Spring include Jason Adler, Nico David-Fox, Shaan Desai, Juju Jinich, William Liu, and Raphael Wolf.
The team will scrimmage at Bullis on March 12 with their first official match at Episcopal on March 19.
– Chloe Newkirk ’27
Men’s Lacrosse
Recently, the GDS men’s lacrosse team has been meeting on the field every week to get to know each other and work on their skills. The team has a new head coach, high school math teacher Will Thayer. Thayer hopes to focus on building community to create a good environment for the team to have a successful season.
The team has players from a variety of grades, but many of them come from the freshman class. Of the 19 players currently listed on the GDS athletics website, ten are from the class of 2027. The young core looks to set the team up well for the next few years.
Coach Thayer talked about some of his goals for the season, emphasizing the idea of getting “better every day and to make sure we’re having a positive attitude about everything.” He also acknowledged the fact that “there’s plenty of things that you can’t control in a season,” but also said that the team can “control what [they] do, and my goal is that we get better every day and are having fun while doing it.”
Thayer also talked about the importance of having teammates by your side. “That team dynamic of believing in each other and having that positive mentality is important, even when we face adversity,” he said.
Thayer said that he wants the players to know that “they still have each other to fall back on and they will have success. It doesn’t matter if they win every game, but hopefully they get better the whole time.”
The team started their official season with practices starting the week of Monday, Feb. 26, and expect to play their first game against DC International on March 13.
– Jonah Levy ’27
Women’s Lacrosse
In preparation for the upcoming season, the women’s lacrosse team participated in a winter league, where they played against other school and club teams. Additionally, the team got together for “Wall Ball Wednesdays,” which consisted of quick passing drills.
The team plays in the A division, lower than the AA division, of the Independent School League (ISL), where they placed fifth of seven schools in the 2023 season with a 1-5 in-division record. Overall, the team fared better, going 6-7. Two games, against Washington Latin and St. Andrew’s, lacked a reported score. At the end of the 2023 season, the team fell to Flint Hill in the quarterfinals of the ISL A division tournament. The team also lost in the quarterfinals of the DCSAA tournament to National Cathedral School.
The team is full of fresh faces for the 2024 season. Twenty of its 38 players were not on the team last season, including 16 freshmen.
The team’s first official practice was on Monday, Feb. 26, and the team will scrimmage at Madeira the following Saturday, March 2. On March 12, they will have their first official game at home against Brookewood.
– Molly Kurtzer-Ellenbogen ’26
CORRECTION (March 11): A previous version of this article erroneously referred to Todd Carter as the head coach of the men’s varsity baseball team. Shawn Miller is the head coach.