Fall Season
Soccer | Both soccer teams play at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex, on Foxhall Road, which can be reached from a short shuttle ride. The men’s squad (6-8-3) failed to qualify for the Atlantic 10 Championships a year after capturing the A-10 title and making a surprising run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team must overcome the loss of eight key seniors and rely on the team’s younger players, including sophomore Michael Rollings, who was named A-10 Rookie of the Week twice during the 2005 season.
The women’s squad (5-12-0) also missed the A-10 Tournament and graduated seven seniors, with 2006 opponents including Villanova, Georgetown and James Madison.
Volleyball | The Colonials finished the 2005 season with a four-game winning streak and a record of 14-15, an improvement from the squad’s 7-23 record during the 2004 campaign. Matches are played in the Smith Center and are action-packed. Four recruits should bring new talent to the Colonials and help replace the team’s four lost seniors.
Cross Country
Because its course runs through Centreville, Va., the men’s and women’s cross country teams are perhaps the most challenging teams to watch. Both teams’ best finishes were third place showings, the women at the GW Invitational, which is held in Centreville on the Colonials’ home course, and the men at William & Mary. Both teams also competed in the A-10 Championship (men 10th place, women 11th place) and the NCAA Mid Atlantic Regional (women 21st place, men 22nd place).
Winter Season
Basketball | Colonial basketball is undeniably Foggy Bottom’s most popular sport. Both the men and the women are coming off second-round appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The men defeated UNC-Wilmington before falling to No.1 seed Duke while the women came from behind to beat Old Dominion on ODU’s home court and then were topped by perennial powerhouse Tennessee. The Colonials will miss Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Mike Hall, Omar Williams and would-be senior Danilo Pinnock, who recently decided to forego his senior year in favor of professional basketball. Rising senior Carl Elliott also chose to enter the NBA Draft, however did not hire an agent and thus is still eligible to return to the squad.
On the women’s side, the Colonials lost just one senior, Jessica Simmonds. Some of the key returnees include rising seniors Kenan Cole and Whitney Allen, and juniors Kimberly Beck and Sarah-Jo Lawrence. Sophomore twins Jazmine and Jessica Adair will also return to their spots in the post.
Swimming & Diving/Water Polo | Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams begin competition in the fall that carries until March. The women’s squad will lose senior Maggie Moss, who earned GW’s top senior athlete award last year and also captured gold in the 100-yard backstroke. Freshman David Zenk also won gold in the same event, along with the 200-yard individual medley. Both teams practice and compete together. The pool, which is also home for the water polo team, can be found in the basement of the Smith Center.
The men’s water polo team competes only in the fall while the women participate in both fall and spring matches. The men (12-16) finished ninth at the College Water Polo Association Southern Championship, held in October, while the women (10-15) lost both matches at the same event, held in April, failing to qualify them for Eastern Championships for the first time.
Squash | Few GW students are aware that the University boasts both men’s and women’s squash programs. Although most matches are not played on Foggy Bottom, those that are take place at the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.
Gymnastics | The gymnastics season runs from January to early April and includes many meets. The squad also calls the Smith Center home, as the Colonials host many competitions, including the GW Invitational to open their season. Last year’s team finished second in a field of six at the event.
Spring Season
Crew | The GW crew team can be seen rowing the Potomac River in almost any weather. The team’s season starts in the fall and goes until late spring, with a break for the winter months. Both teams earn invites to many top regattas in the country, while the GW Invitational, held every year during the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Georgetown Waterfront, is an exciting event that boasts many of the nation’s top squads.
Softball | Another team that calls Mount Vernon home, the softball team has struggled as a program since its inception three seasons ago. The squad plays until early October and then again from early February until the conclusion of the school year. The Colonials are led by junior Elana Meyers, who was named an A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year and First Team All-Conference. The shortstop became the first in the program’s history to earn A-10 All-Conference Honors.
Lacrosse | The women’s lacrosse team finished its 2006 campaign at 6-11. Games are fast-paced and make for a nice springtime activity. Stacked with many underclassmen and led by senior Laura Hostetler, next year’s squad should have a better showing.
Baseball | Baseball is a tough sport to catch live, as the squad plays at Barcroft Park in Arlington, Va. Those who are adventurous can reach the field by taking the Metro to the Ballston, Va., stop and then pay for a short cab ride. The team made an unlikely run to the semi-finals of the A-10 Tournament after earning the sixth and final seed into the tournament. The Colonials were defeated 9-2 by St. Bonaventure to end their season.
Tennis | Tennis is another sport that is played in both the fall and the spring, as both the men’s and women’s squads practice and play matches on the 12 courts at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex. The women finished seventh at the A-10 Championships, while the men earned an eighth-place finish.
Golf | The golf team is coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The squad qualified for the NCAA Tournament, where they finished 23rd in the East Regional, for the first time in sixty years. The Colonials also finished fifth at the A-10 Championship.