Men’s Varsity Baseball
By Tristan Souchaud
Last year, the GDS men’s varsity baseball team went 9–11 overall and 3–8 in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC). The team has played three games so far this season: two against Sidwell, losing 13–5 and 17–0, and one against Flint Hill, losing 11–3.
The baseball team lost a significant number of players from last season, including six graduating seniors. Eleven of 15 players are underclassmen.
“At the end of the day, we’re gonna be fine,” junior Lawson Massey said. “We have a team; we have a well coached team; we got a young team; we got a promising team.”
The team is led by head coach Nick Bacani. Bacani served as an assistant coach for the team last year.
Assistant coach JT Trembley is remaining on the team after 20 years of coaching at GDS. “We got some long-tenured coaches, and we got some new guys, really like a pretty good mix of energy and knowledge,” Massey said. Jameson Ford and Jeff Merriweather will join Trembley as assistant coaches this season.
“We know we have the ability to win games,” sophomore Alex Price said. “We just have to put it together and develop a little bit as a team to make that happen.”
Price said one of the goals for the season is to develop the team for the future. “We have no seniors, so we’re not losing anybody, so building towards next year is definitely big,” he said.
The men’s varsity Baseball team plays their next game on Tuesday, March 17 against Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School at Dogwood Park.
Varsity Crew
By Anna Lundman
The varsity crew team had a difficult season last year. The team placed fourth of four in the Charlie Butt Regatta, 50th of 51 in the Stotesbury Cup Regatta and sixth of six in the 5th Manny Flick / Horvat Series. This year, though, the crew team is hoping to row faster in their regattas, according to freshman Liam Fernández.
Last year, some members of the team were more committed than others. “There are a handful of kids on the team last year that I applaud their commitment and they were always there,” Athletic Director Mike Brooks said. “Unfortunately, there were also some that were not.”
This year, 12 of 14 rowers are underclassmen, which Brooks hopes will sustain participation in future seasons. Brooks said the rowers this year are “not just interested but committed.”
Since practices began, the team has been working out in the weight room and practicing their form, according to Fernández.
With their first regatta of the season on April 12, the team has time to build up their skills. “Competing is hard sometimes,” Brooks said. “If these kids can work through that and still have fun and enjoy the experience of one another, that’s a win every day of the week in my book.”
Men’s Varsity Lacrosse
By Sam Leveton
Last season, the GDS men’s lacrosse team won two games and lost 11. This year, the team is looking to rebound from those losses with new head coach Jordan Washington.
Junior Ahren Sidhu said the team has strong chemistry. “We can really tell there is a big jump in energy, and everyone is very motivated to work hard,” he said. “The coaching staff really pushes us every day in practice.”
The team primarily consists of sophomores and juniors, with 12 sophomores and 11 juniors. Five seniors and three freshmen round out a total of 31 players on the roster.
Prior to joining the GDS coaching staff, Washington served as the head coach of Howard University’s men’s lacrosse team for four years. Before that, he was the head coach of Bishop Mcnamara High School.
Senior Ben Kanter said Washington has high hopes for the program. “He brings a really good intensity,” Kanter said. “I think he’s going to be a really good fit for us.”
Kanter also talked about the mark he wanted to leave on the program as a senior. “I want to show the younger players to work hard [and] give 110%,” Kanter said. Kanter said he wanted to make sure younger players know that “they have the ability to compete every day.”
The team began practice on Monday, Feb. 23 and played their first game on Thursday, March 5, when they lost 22–5 to Bishop O’Connell High School. The team’s next game is on Tuesday, March 17 against D.C. International School.
Women’s Varsity Lacrosse
By Chloe Sachs
This spring, the women’s varsity lacrosse team is hoping to improve on their record from last year, when they went 3–10 overall and 2–8 in the Independent School League (ISL).
The team is already on track to improve their record: They recently won their first regular season game 14–3 against Jackson-Reed High School.
Fifteen freshmen, many of whom play lacrosse outside school, joined the team this year. “A lot of that new talent is really strong,” assistant coach C.A Pillings said.
There are five seniors on the team this year. As leaders, they plan to prioritize inclusion and motivate the new underclassmen. “I think the role of seniors is to get to know everyone on the team,” senior Tessa Antonipillai said.
The team will play their next game at home against Maret School on Wednesday, March 18 at 4:15 p.m.
Men’s Varsity Tennis
By Josh Altschuler
The men’s varsity tennis team stayed active during the offseason, with players participating in optional workouts every Monday and Wednesday. Now, the team is kicking off the season after 33 students—a record number for the program—tried out for the tennis team.
The team went 4–7 overall last year and 3–3 in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC), putting them in fourth place in the league. Despite the losing record, the outlook for the upcoming season is positive according to head coach Grant Tabler. The varsity team has five seniors and is welcoming four freshman to the squad,
“We have a very young team,” senior Carter Kunz said. “The freshmen this year on varsity are already really good.”
Like many other sports teams this year, the men’s tennis team is welcoming a new coach; Tabler will serve as varsity’s head coach this season. Tabler was the assistant coach for the varsity team last year.
“Our old coach wanted us to be really loud during matches,” senior Carter Kunz said. “Our new coach is more reserved and wants us to be more laid back and show what we can do by playing the match and not being obnoxious.” Kunz said he preferred Tabler’s style.
But that team companionship isn’t limited to the varsity team. “We all [the varsity and junior-varsity teams] collectively practice and make sure that we are lifting up one another,” sophomore and junior-varsity player Brendon Chu said. “We’re not putting each other down, and I think that makes a great team environment.”
As a senior, Kunz also wants to lead the varsity team and help mentor the younger members. “I have to get in the huddle and get everyone hyped up for the match,” he said. “I think it would be exciting to watch them grow into the team and be able to lead the team next year when I’m gone.”
The team will next face off against D.C. International school on Tuesday, March 17 at 4:15 p.m.
Varsity Track and Field
By Jonah Levy
As the winter weather nears an end and the spring sports season begins, the varsity track and field team is gearing up for the season. Last year, in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) track and field championships, the women’s team finished seventh of 15 schools, while the men’s team finished ninth of 18.
The varsity team will have five coaches this spring, with head coach Anthony Belber leading the charge as usual. However, that list excludes coach William Miezen for the first time in 25 years. Miezen is taking this season off due to his heavy workload as a church pastor and a lower/middle school P.E. teacher and coach. Miezen told players that he hopes to return to the team next season.
“We’re trying to do our best to remedy his [Miezen’s] loss to the team,” assistant coach Felipe Da Silva ’18 said. “We also lost quite a few of the girls sprinters to the lacrosse team.” Seven athletes who ran indoor track and field this winter are playing women’s lacrosse.
“We have a lot of quick seniors that have, potentially, the ability to take some of the school records,” Da Silva said, “if they’re healthy.”
The team has been plagued by injuries early in the season. Senior Nate Zia has a groin injury, junior James Fitzgibbons has a stress fracture in his foot and junior Athina Bezianis and sophomore Gavin Solomon are both in leg casts.
“The main goal [is] to get the kids healthy and ready for the end of the season championships,” Da Silva said.
The team’s next meet is on Saturday, March 28 at Mount Saint Joseph High School.
Women’s Varsity Softball
By Alexandra Ezrow
The women’s varsity softball team is looking to build a strong 2025 season that saw them reach the Independent School League (ISL) semifinals and District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) finals.
The team has been training hard in practices since the season began on Feb. 23.
“You’re gonna play like you practice,” assistant coach Bryan Williams said. “We want to be intentional with practices so when we get into games we’re gonna be better prepared.”
The team hopes to improve its speed and agility during practices. “You gotta be able to move side to side, you gotta be able to drop-step and run, you gotta be able to attack the ball instead of waiting for the ball to come to you,” Williams said.
“I think we’re definitely improving,” senior captain Avery Snyder said.
Sophomore Evy Gilroy credited the seniors with creating a positive team culture. “We have really exciting seniors,” Gilroy said, referring to Snyder and the two other seniors, Tatum Mach and Lia Oremland. “I think we’re gonna have a really great season.”
Snyder said she’s seen the team’s culture evolve since her freshman year. “The team has definitely gotten more collaborative,” Snyder said, describing how the upperclassmen and underclassmen work together.
“I want the team to find ways to support each other,” Williams said. “Like [say], ‘Hey, that was a good catch—hey, that was a good throw.’ Just talk it up. Be supportive emotionally and verbally.”
Ultimately, Williams hopes to win a championship. “That’s always the goal: to win games, to win championships,” Williams said. “It’s always nice to win a championship, especially for the seniors on the team.”
The team will play their next game against Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School on Wednesday, March 18 at GDS.
CLARIFICATION (April 14 at 10:12 a.m.): A previous version of this article stated that the varsity track and field team was co-ed. The squad is technically split into a men’s and women’s team, but the two teams practice together.