From mid-August to the beginning of the 2023 school year, athletes in fall sports set goals for themselves and worked hard during preseason to prepare for the upcoming season. As the season draws to an end, these athletes finally have an opportunity to reflect on their seasons.
This year, Head Coach Ibrahim Toure led Sidwell Boys Varsity Soccer to a Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship. Coming off of a 6-2-4 record in the MAC, and an overall record of 13-5-4, the team began the end-of-season tournament as the second seed. The boys defeated both Flint Hill and St. James 3-1 and smoothly made their way to the finals against Potomac.
In previous matchups with Potomac, the team drew the first match and lost the second. But, with the support of the Sidwell student section paired with the hard work they put in, Sidwell pulled out a win, defeating Potomac 5-2.
“It was a really good experience and we did so well. I’m really proud of the team,” says freshman Cooper Dwight.
In this fall season, Girls Varsity Tennis went undefeated as a team. Their individual record was a stellar 99-1, reflecting their collective dominance.
The team closed out their season with a match against Holton Arms that resulted in a 7-0 win. They won the Independent School League (ISL) regular season, and went on to win the ISL Championship. The team will now begin preparing for the Girls Tennis DCSAA Tournament, which will be held in the spring. As of now, Sidwell’s girls varsity team holds a ranking of number two in the country. Throughout the season, coaches Logan West and Shelby Jones helped the team achieve their impressive results for the season.
Three freshmen on the team, Sara Abouzeid, Natalie McIntosh and Alana Templeman, played a large role in the season. Templeman reflected on both her and the team’s collective season. She climbed up the ladder and ended the season earning a spot as number two doubles. “Although it was daunting being the only freshman ‘non-recruit’ on the team, I felt the team’s supportive environment was conducive to our success this year. I look forward to another three years on the team. I hope that I can be as supportive as the upperclassmen were to me,” said Templeman.
Coaches Jon Mornino, Dominic Lee and Xavier Curtis wanted to curate a passion for golf in all their players this fall. Varsity Golf, which is co-ed, competes in the MAC. This season ended successfully, with the team placing third in MAC Championships. In addition to this postseason success, the program also ended up placing top three in the majority of their rounds this season. “I really found more passion for golf than before,” said freshman Jake Levine.
This season, interim Head Coach Jamar Chichester helped lead Varsity Football to a successful 5-3 record this season. Despite the departure of former Head Coach Donald Davis, this year’s team was able to remain strong. The team hopes to continue to build upon this success and return to the MAC in future seasons.
In the ISL tournament, the Girls Varsity Volleyball team played St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in the first round and won 3-2, but ultimately fell short of claiming a banner. Freshman Ava Ghassemi said, “Being on this team has been really important to me because as well as playing volleyball, I made really good friends, so no matter our record I’m still so thankful for this team.”
Girls Varsity Soccer also had a successful season this fall. They played in the DCSAA Tournament and won their first game against Maret 3-1. Freshman Olivia Bianchi Alves emphasized the importance of rebounding from the team’s previous 3-1 loss to Maret in order to achieve this result. Alves also said she “loved being on the team. The upperclassmen were very supportive.”
Varsity Field Hockey’s season was highlighted by two particularly impressive wins, among other achievements. In their match against Potomac during the regular season, they won 5-3. In their semifinal match of the ISL tournament, they won against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes 2-1, sending them to the championship. In the final, they played Flint Hill and lost 2-1, coming close to winning their final match and walking away with a championship. Freshman Nylah James said, “The team worked really well together, and our communication on and off the field was the key to our success this season.”
Capped off by their fifth-place finish at the DCSAA Championship meet, both Boys and Girls Cross Country had a rewarding season. The boys program was led by Coach Martin Suresh. Also supporting the boys were coaches Michael Cooley, Murat Kayali and Joe Korth. Head Coach Andrea Keklak led the girls team with the help of the rest of the staff.
As we progress further into the year, Sidwell teams hope to continue using leadership and integrity to create a community that promotes resilience and sports ethics. Sidwell Athletics looks to carry the momentum of the fall season into the winter sports rotation.
