Volleyball
By William Cromer
Ranked first in the area by The Washington Post, the women’s varsity volleyball team is on track to have another great season.
Last year, the team won its third consecutive District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship, won 25 of 26 regular season games and finished with a 9–0 record in the Independent School League (ISL).
GDS has played two pre-season games this year. They won 2–1 against Urbana High School and beat the Washington Post’s fourth-ranked Bishop O’Connell, 4–0.
After losing seven seniors from last year’s graduating class, the varsity team has decreased from 16 to 12 players. Junior Caycee Chhum said last year’s seniors “were a very strong force.”
But senior captain and Colby College verbal commit Fiona McDermott is confident in this year’s team. “I think we’re capable of playing just as well,” she said. “It’s just sort of an adjustment.”
McDermott and her fellow captain, senior and Tufts University verbal commit Tessa Fergusson, were named to the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Pre-season Watchlist, and juniors Alexa Telly, Zora Dimbo and Caycee Chhum were named to the 2025 AVCA Phenom Watchlist. Chhum was also named the MaxPreps Pre-Season Best Player in D.C.
Head coach Brandon Wiest said he expects St. John’s and Jackson-Reed to be two of the team’s most challenging opponents this season. “I would expect a lot of the usual suspects we play to be pretty good this year,” he said.
On Sept. 10, the team has its first regular-season game at Sidwell Friends School.
Women’s Soccer
By Sophie Gresens
After earning a promotion to the higher AA division of the Independent School League (ISL) in 2023, the women’s varsity soccer team ended last season as the league’s co-champions.
“We’re trying to build everyone up and have everyone improve and come together,” senior Corina Bellermann said. She was named to both The Washington Post’s All-Met First Team and the All-ISL roster after the 2024 season. “We’re trying to figure out how we work together as a team, seeing where people work best and seeing where their strengths and weaknesses are.”
“The seniors have been really supportive of everybody, and they’ve been helping everyone out,” sophomore Ella Maas said. “The practices have helped us get to know each other and to play like a team.”
Bellermann also praised her coaching staff, highlighting their positive impact on the players’ performances. “Their personalities and love of the game really help set the tone for the season and help everyone jump into the swing of things and get started for a good season,” she said.
Both Bellermann and Maas said they thought that in order to have a successful season, they would have to excel in their division and form strong connections between players on their team. Bellermann said she is excited to see how the team performs against difficult opponents like Sidwell, Potomac and Stone Ridge.
The team won their first official game of the season on Sept. 5, beating Connelly School of the Holy Child 1-0.
Their next game is against Jackson-Reed on Sept. 9 at 4:00 PM.
Men’s Soccer
By Sam Leveton
The men’s varsity soccer team has played two preseason scrimmages and two regular-season games. GDS won 2–1 against Flint Hill School and tied Penn Charter School 1–1.
This soccer team is tasked with following up on a very solid 2024 season. Four players won All-DC Accolades. As the second seed, GDS lost in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) semifinal game in a penalty shoot-out against St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. In the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Tournament, the team was seeded eighth and lost to Gonzaga College High School in the second round.
“Hopefully we can bounce back from all the seniors that we lost, and hopefully we can play as good, maybe even better than last year,” sophomore Lucky Dodge said. The team had seven players graduate last year.
“We feel ready for the season,” senior and co-captain Trey Tam said. “We are missing a lot of seniors but we do have a strong senior and junior class, so we are looking good.”
Tam said the team’s goal is to win the league.
Sophomore Justin Heffernan said his personal goal is to “earn a starting spot and help the team win the MAC.”
“We are going to have to pick up the intensity,” Heffernan said. “We are losing a couple key players and pieces in our lineup, so we are going to have to fight harder and work harder than everyone.”
The team’s next game is on Sept. 9, against Sidwell at home.
Cross Country
By Josh Altschuler
The GDS cross country team is gearing up for another season. Led by head coach and history teacher Anthony Belber, the team features 25 seniors, including captains Andrew Bennett, Anya Finkelstein, Charlotte Glendinning, Noah Kolker and Oliver Wolin. The team has 77 runners in total, making it the largest sports team at GDS.
Last year, the men’s team placed second in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) championships, and the women’s team placed third in the Independent School League (ISL) championships.
This year’s women’s team has lots of spots to fill after five top runners graduated last spring. “There is a little concern about filling their shoes, but the rising seniors and underclassmen seem to be not missing a step and are coming in with the same energy and investment we’ve had in the past,” Belber said. Some underclassmen, including sophomore Nikki Smallwood, are doing their best to foster a welcoming team culture, especially for the freshmen.
“As sophomores, we have a good opportunity to bond with them because we’re barely older, but we have more experience, so we can kind of show them the ropes,” Smallwood said.
The men’s side is also sporting an extremely strong senior class this season. “On the guys’ side, we’ve always had a pretty strong class of 2026 since freshman year, so not much has changed a lot since last season, but we are all a lot faster,” Bennett said. He added that one of his goals is to help motivate the team throughout the fall. “It’s a very long season, and people do get burned out,” he said. “I think as a captain it’s all about keeping the team momentum going and getting people excited for the end of the season.”
The team competed in the Lake Forest Invitational meet on Sept. 6 and placed first out of 12 teams in the boys varsity race and third out of 12 teams in the girls varsity race. Their next meet will be the Lake Braddock Relays on Sept. 13.
Women’s Tennis
By Lucille Hletko Wood and Anna Lundman
The GDS women’s varsity tennis team has just completed its preseason practices, and it is ready to launch into the new season.
This year, the team has a new head coach, Grant Tabler. Tabler was the assistant coach of the men’s tennis team last spring. The varsity assistant coach is lower school physical education teacher and athletics coach Garrett Milam.
As of Sept. 4, there are 16 players on the varsity team and 13 players on the junior-varsity team. The team practices at the George Washington University Vern Tennis Center.
So far, the team has had one preseason scrimmage, against National Cathedral School, on Aug. 28. They lost 6–1.
“It was a good test of the student athletes,” Tabler said. “I was really impressed with the way they played. It bodes well for a really strong season.”
The captains this year are seniors Ambar Grewal, Andie Kanarek and Nicole Stutson. According to Tabler, some standouts on the team include sophomores Helena Seiken and Ema Kuburovic.
Grewal and the other captains are focused on keeping the team close and having fun. “Something that I love getting out of every year of tennis is the community and the team that we have,” Grewal said. “We’re all like a family.”
Tabler’s aim for the season is to improve the team’s skills, records, and confidence. “I want them to go out on the court and believe in their game, believe in themselves, and know that they can get out there and play,” he said.
The varsity team won 4-3 in their first official match of the season against Maret School on Sept. 5. The team’s second official match is scheduled for Sept. 9 against St. Stephens and St. Agnes.
Golf
By Ryan Granowitter
By the time the GDS golf team teed up its preseason on Aug. 18, many of its players, including juniors Brady Leblanc and Ashwin Pathiyal, had already been playing consistently over the summer. The entire team, which competes in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) and the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA), kicked off its regular season on Sept. 2.
Since last year’s fourth place finish in the MAC tournament, the team has grown from ten players to 17. The departure of graduates Koen Yu ’25 and Leo Nyberg ’25, the former top two players on the team, has left some shoes to fill on this year’s team. “I am excited to see the underclassman and returning players compete in matches and try to fill the gaps as they have been progressing at a rapid pace,” Leblanc said.
Only the top six players on the team are allowed to play in varsity matches. Spots seven through 13 will play in junior-varsity matches, while the remaining four players will not participate in matches.
“I am extremely excited to play with this talented group of upperclassmen and am looking forward to getting better and competing for that top-six spot,” freshman Lawson Friedman said.
“I’m most excited to bond with teammates, new and returning, and have a fun season,” junior Ahren Sidhu said. “We’re hoping to win the MAC and seriously compete in D.C. states.”
Leblanc also said that because the team is extremely young—with 11 underclassmen and only one senior, Dylan Li—he is excited to see how the team matures in the coming years.
In fact, in a scrimmage against Sidwell on Sept. 5, sophomore Alex Price and freshman Max Goldman led the team, shooting par and one over par, respectively.
The team’s first regular season match is Tuesday, Sept. 16 against Maret.
CORRECTION (Sept. 7 at 9:45 p.m.): The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the men’s varsity soccer team lost in the first round of the DCSAA tournament. The team actually lost in the second round.