August marked the start of the season for each of Sidwell’s nine fall sports. Here is what to look forward to in each sport.
Football is looking forward to a fresh start this season. Jamar Chichester ’09 was appointed as interim head coach after former head coach Donald Davis left after three seasons. Sophomore Vinnie Cohen said that the team’s goal this year is to “win and defeat anything.” Cohen added that the team always focuses on playing smart and hard. The team is looking to improve on playing as a collective rather than as individual players. This year, Football will not be participating in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC), opting to play as an independent team.
Sidwell’s Girls Cross Country has been dominant in past years, with two athletes placing top 10 at states last year, and many achieving individual personal bests. This year, the team is hoping to become “a cohesive unit with the boys team” and to have athletes consistently place high in events, according to senior Gracie Dogramaci. Junior Isabel Limao said that the team is aiming to build a stronger community and both support and push each other more while still having fun. Limao also hopes that there will be more fan turnout at meets this year.
For the 2023 season, Boys Cross Country welcomes new coach Michael Cooley. Notable accomplishments last year include placing first out of six teams at Episcopal High School and second out of thirteen teams at the Covenant Life Invitational. This year, the team will compete in ten total races and, according to sophomore Isaac Jain, hopes to actualize the team’s philosophy of “consistency.”
Field Hockey is entering its second year with Head Coach Janessa Hope. One highlight from Field Hockey’s Fall 2022 season was winning the Homecoming game against Saint James. Sophomore Maggie McDonald said that one of the team’s goals for this season is to “create a community of strong, inspiring athletes who build each other up.” According to McDonald, the team is looking forward to improving their skills and sportsmanship.
Since 2021, Sidwell’s Golf program has been led by Upper School Math Teacher Jon Mormino. Mormino believes strongly that everyone should improve together, and that golf is not only a solo game, according to sophomore Claire Kinnier. Last year the team won four of six league games, and placed fourth in the MAC. For Kinnier, this year’s goal is to “win more matches” and continue to improve on “consistency” as a team.
Girls Soccer is looking to rebound from last year, where they lost in the ISL Championship game. With two new recruits to the team, the team’s main goal is to “win a banner,” said senior Jordan Mathewson. Head Coach Ryan Alexander has led this team for the past 10 seasons and has always maintained a culture of “grit” and “teamwork.” Girls Varsity will play their first match against Bishop Ireton on Aug. 24 at Sidwell.
Boys Soccer has its eyes set on winning the MAC. Junior Isaac Wright said he believes that the whole team sees this as an achievable goal. This season, the team is hoping to play a possession based style which starts with building out of the back, according to Wright. Wright says another goal is to be the “fittest team possible” so by the end of games, they can still play quickly while other teams are tired. According to Wright, the team is “trying to improve results but the biggest thing [the coach] is trying to improve is the culture.” Coach Ibrahim Toure emphasizes winning in the right way, having a good team culture and sportsmanship, and being more intentional in practice. Wright added that the biggest difference from last year is that, while last season the team was simply trying to survive, this year’s team is looking to control games. Boys Varsity Soccer has three new players and one new coach.
This season, Volleyball hopes to go as far as the team can go in both the ISL playoffs and Washington State championships. According to senior Kirie Frederick, Coach Myles Teasley attaches a quote at the end of every email, and that the quote he most recently used —“there is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self” — really speaks to the values of the team. For Fall 2023, Volleyball is adding two new coaches: Heidi Gaston and Stephanie Roach. Gaston will serve as the Junior Varsity head coach.
The high performing Girls Tennis team is looking to repeat its success from last year, including winning the ISL AA and Washington State Championship titles. According to sophomore Kenzie Goldsteen, the team is also aiming to be undefeated again this year. Another goal is to have a good dynamic within the team, embodied by their motto “grit and grind.”
