Women’s varsity volleyball
By Alexandra Ezrow
The women’s varsity volleyball team ended their season the same way they began it: as the top team in the area.
“We knew we had a target on our back, and we knew we were going to get everyone’s best shot,” head coach Brandon Wiest said. The team held the top spot in the Washington Post high school volleyball rankings throughout the season, which list the top 20 teams in the D.C. area. Their local dominance earned the team national recognition, including an honorable mention in the Nov. 13 Sports Illustrated article about the top teams in the country.
They had an overall record of 22–1. They did not lose a set in Independent School League (ISL) play.
The team carried the momentum from the regular season into the postseason by winning their first ISL championship and their fourth straight DCSAA championship.
“We knew we had a great team this year,” Wiest said. “We had a lot of players who were a big part of our team for several years in a row, leaders on our team, and what we were unsure of was what the leadership would be.” The team graduated nine seniors after last season. “We were thrilled that all four seniors on the team—Fiona McDermott, Ella Higday, Tessa Fergusson and Gigi Wigglesworth—seamlessly stepped into that void, and the team culture this year was really, really special. ”
Junior Caycee Chhum said the supportive team culture also helped the team compete. “It’s hard to win, but it’s hard to play like you want to win,” she said. “I think we had a lot of motivation, not only from Coach Brandon but from each other. A big thing about volleyball is it’s all about energy and we just keep each other motivated and keep things fun.”
“Every game is a mental challenge,” junior Alexa Telly said. “Volleyball is a very momentous game,” junior Alexa Telly said. “If you’re not there mentally, if you’re not mentally strong, then you’ll lose.”
“[We had] a mature group that could kind of handle the pressure of those high-intensity situations where the other team is really gunning for you, and every match we played someone on the opposing team was going to have their best game of the year,” Wiest said. “The poise and composure that our team showed in those moments led us to a great place.”
Varsity cross country
By Maia Shakow
The cross country team capped off their season with a first-place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) championship, a fourth-place finish in the Independent School League (ISL) championship and two fourth-place finishes in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship.
“It was really the fastest men’s and women’s teams I’ve coached in the last ten years,” head coach Anthony Belber said.
At a Maryland meet in October, junior Shira Wenthe broke her own school record with a time of 18:02. Senior Oliver Wolin ran the season’s fastest 5K time, 15:57, at the DCSAA championship.
The season “went really well, especially for the seniors,” sophomore runner Brendon Chu said. Chu said the team had improved a lot this fall, with many of the seniors setting personal records.
The team, which consisted of 77 people this year, will graduate 29 seniors ahead of next season.
Belber praised the large senior class for their efforts throughout the season. “There were so many people running so well; everybody had improvements over the course of the season,” he said. “That really speaks to the fact that the senior class sets the tone of how hard to train, and they set the tone of what kind of environment we want to foster.”
Belber also said the six current juniors will have additional responsibility next year. “We’re really eager to see those rising seniors step up and lead, as I expect they will do,” he said.
Men’s varsity soccer
By Gavin Leonard
The men’s varsity soccer team finished their regular season as Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) regular season co-champions with a record of 8–2–2.
Their season ended with a 2–0 loss to the Washington International School in the quarterfinal of the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) tournament.
This year’s team was one of the most competitive ever. They finished with their best conference record in the last 15 years and won their first regular season co-championship banner since 2017. Before this year, they hadn’t won over seven conference games in a season.
“I think it was a very successful season,” senior TJ Jones said. “We exceeded everyone’s expectations outside of the team, and I think we met our expectations of what we were supposed to do this season.” “No one was really expecting us to have a season where we won a banner. It’s a big success for the GDS program because this is our first time winning a banner in the last decade.”
Jones, seniors Trey Tam and Suli Ajmeri and junior William Cromer earned All-MAC honors this season. (Cromer is a reporter for The Bit.)
Junior Nathan Tureck said he is ready for what’s next. He set a personal goal for next year to to play better than all of his previous seasons and to be a better leader on and off the field. “I’m looking forward to getting to play my last season of high school soccer. It will be fun to see what the team can do to follow up the great season we had this year,” he said.
Women’s varsity soccer
By Mackenzie Roselle
The women’s varsity soccer team’s regular season ended on Friday, Oct. 24, with GDS finishing in fourth place of the Independent School League (ISL). Their regular season record was 14–4.
“They’d better be proud,” assistant coach Haze McCrary said. “I’m proud of them, and I’m not shy about that.”
The team lost to Sidwell Friends School in the ISL tournament semifinal, finishing tied for third place and tying with Holton-Arms. The Hoppers lost to the Foxes, again, on Monday, Nov. 10, in the DC State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship.
Freshman Elise Wosinska, senior Corina Bellermann and junior Alexis Rayford were selected to the ISL AA Division All-League Team. Wosinska, Bellermann, junior Annie Del Guercio and senior Theo Foer were selected to be DCSAA All-Stars.
Both Wosinska and senior co-captain Rachel Sachs said the team was a fun, nurturing and happy community. “Later in the season, we really learned how to work together and move as a team, shift as a team and support each other as well,” Sachs said. “Usually we spent half of our practice doing drills and the other half laughing.”
“I hope that [the team] thought that this community was really good and that next year we’ll come back even stronger,” Wosinska said.
“I bet they’ll keep up the momentum and the hard work,” Sachs said about next year’s team. “I hope they’ll continue to go through the season with kindness and support for each other.”
Varsity golf
By William Cromer
The varsity golf team finished its season fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC), with freshman Max Goldman, junior Noah Petty and sophomore Alex Price all qualifying for the individual MAC championships. “We all played well, but lost our individual matches,” Petty told the Bit.
The team added seven players this season, bringing the number of golfers up to seventeen, the largest roster in program history. The Hoppers also welcomed assistant coach Marquis Bell to the program. “Marquis is such a culture-builder,” head coach David Gillespie said. “He’s so positive and so fun.”
Fun was a central theme throughout the season. When asked what he would tell someone thinking about joining the team, junior Brady Leblanc responded, “I would really just ask them, do you want to have fun?”
As a fun practice activity, the team held its own tournament with four majors, similar to the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA)’s four major tours: the Masters, the PGA, the US Open and the British Open. In the tournament, players were paired with teammates and competed for the trophy, which featured the winners’ names. To ensure fairness, Gillespie paired higher level players with lower level players. “Next year, our goal is to finish in the top three [in the MAC] and to have three or four of our players qualify for individuals,” Gillespie said. Because the team will lose no varsity players next season, Gillespie said he thinks the goal is attainable.
Petty said he is optimistic about the next season. “We are building off a strong campaign of a season, and next season we’re not really losing anybody,” he said. “I think that the juniors that are currently on the team will need to step into more leadership positions.”
Because some divisions hold their golf season in the spring, the GDS golf team will compete in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) tournament in May.
Women’s varsity tennis
By Sophie Gresens
The women’s varsity tennis team finished their season with a record of 6–6. For the first time, the team reached the semifinals of the Independent School League (ISL) championship.
Head coach Grant Tabler described the season as nothing short of “historic,” specifically because of the team’s success after months of practice and competition.
“The amount of improvement that everybody showed was a real highlight and testament to the work that they did,” he said.
“I grew a lot as a leader this season,” senior captain Ambar Grewal said. “I learned to put myself aside and put others ahead of me.”
Both Tabler and senior co-captain Nicole Stutson said winning their first match of the year against Maret set the tone for their season. “It gave us so much confidence for the rest of the season,” Stutson said.
Grewal also stressed the impact of senior night, which was on Oct. 7, for the team: “Senior night was definitely a highlight. Seeing so many GDS students show up for tennis meant so much.” The support from the community, Grewal said, helped underscore how far the team had come.
As the program looks ahead, both players and coaches said they hope to continue this year’s momentum next season. Tabler also emphasized the contributions from many of the underclassmen, including sophomore Ema Kuburovic, who “stepped up and won consistently.”
Sophomore Helena Seiken, who is ranked 190th in the country and sixth in Maryland for girls’ 16 and under, won the team’s MVP award both her freshman and sophomore years. She has never lost a league or tournament match.