The GW Athletics Department strives to create not only successful athletes, but successful professionals as well.  A GW Athletics LinkedIn group has been created to foster communication between current student-athletes and athletics alumni who have already established careers.

The group created on LinkedIn, an increasingly popular professional networking site, can post discussion boards, exchange articles of interest as well as encourage past and current GW student-athletes to connect.  Student-athletes seeking career advice can search for group members involved in specific job sectors, further facilitating an easy flow of conversation within GW's network of athletes. 

In addition to providing current student-athletes with a professional support system, group members can post job and internship information right on the page.  GW alumni looking to fill positions within their businesses can tap into the network of soon-to-be graduates hailing from their alma mater.  

The group fits into the GW Athletics National Advisory Council's plan to connect student-athletes with alumni.

"It is crucial that current student-athletes build a relationship with our great alumni base who serve as ideal mentors in their industry sector," said Lifeskills Coordinator Ted Costigan.  

Student-athletes will be strongly encouraged throughout the year to create a LinkedIn profile and join the "GW Athletics" group and begin taking advantage of the over 400 members who are already connecting.

The "GW Athletics" LinkedIn group is just another example of the growing efforts of the Athletics Department to prepare student-athletes for the competition away from the field and court - in today's job market.  Past and former GW student-athletes interested in joining the LinkedIn group can click here.

GW basketball suffered a pair of heartbreakers over the weekend as the squads continue to face strong match-ups in preparation for conference play: 

Men's Basketball

-A season-high 3,570 fans witnessed a GW lose a nail-biter to Kansas State, 65-62, on Saturday afternoon at the Charles E. Smith Center.

-Seniors Dwayne Smith, Isaiah Armwood and Lasan Kromah and freshman Patricio Garino all reached double digits, and Smith led the way with a season-high 14 points off the bench.

-Armwood recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds while adding seven blocks. 

-GW consistently held a narrow lead through the first half and had a 29-27 advantage at halftime, but the Colonials could not overcome the Wildcats in the second stanza.

-GW will face Rutgers on Tueday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m.  The game will be regionally televised on SNY and available for live viewing on ESPN3 and WatchESPN online.  

Women's Basketball

-The Colonials' comeback attempt came up short in a 57-54 loss to American University on Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

-GW shot just 29 percent in the first half as American led 25-17 at the break but came back strong, shooting 50 percent in the second half. 

-The Eagles' 17-7 run to finish the game proved too much for the Colonials as a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining gave AU the lead for good, and senior Danni Jackson's last-second three-point attempt to tie rimmed out at the buzzer.

-Senior Megan Nipe finished with a game-high 14 points and added seven rebounds, and Jackson was the only other Colonial to reach double figures with 10 points.

-GW will open a three-game homestand on Wednesday against Auburn at 7:30 p.m.

Swimming and squash began to wrap up fall seasons as basketball picks up speed:

Women's Squash

-No. 12 ranked GW began the weekend with a defeat of Connecticut College in a 9-0 shutout on Friday evening in Hartford. 

-The Colonials continued dominant play with a 7-2 victory over No. 19 ranked Amherst on Saturday afternoon. 

-Freshman Anna Gabriela Porras and Emely Levyn and juniors Jackie Shea, Elizabeth Tapley and Maya Nair all defeated their Amherst opponents in straight sets.  

-GW finished up a busy weekend with a convincing 9-0 win over No. 21 Colby before suffering a 9-0 loss to No. 3 Trinity in Hartford on Sunday. 

-Each Colonial swept a Colby opponent to combine for a dominant match in the first competition of the day.

-The squash squad will finish up fall play next weekend when it takes on Princeton as the Colonials return to the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts at the Lerner Health and Wellness Center. 

Men's Squash

-The No. 16 ranked Colonials opened the weekend in dominating fashion as the men swept No. 22 Connecticut College, 9-0, on Friday evening in Hartford. 

-Seniors Islam El-Fiky and Omar Sobhy, freshmen Ahmed Abdel-Latif and Browning Platt and junior Sam Ehrlich contributed straight-set victories to the win. 

-GW continued strong play with a 7-2 win over No. 21 Amherst on Saturday afternoon, including straight-set showings by senior Omar Sobhy, junior Sam Ehrlich, and sophomore Browning Platt.  

-GW's squad split the final day of weekend competition, beating No. 18 Colby, 9-0, before snapping a four-match win streak with a 8-1 loss to No. 2 Trinity on Sunday. 

-Freshman Reid Breck went the distance to pull an upset at No. 6 over Trinity's Matthew Mackin, the 39th best player in the College Squash Association Individual rankings.

-The Colonials will take a full month off before resuming play against the University College of Grand Cayman Islands in January. 

Women's Swimming

-The Colonials finished up fall competition with losses to Old Dominion, 198-84, and Rutgers, 204-79, on Saturday afternoon.

-Junior Caroline Myers took second in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:0.54.

-Sophomore Janica Lee placed third in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard breaststroke, posting times of 2:09.90 and 2:25.54, respectively.

-GW will take month off before returning to the pool in Jan. 2013 at the Rhode Island Invitational.  

Men's Swimming

-The Colonials dropped the final meet of the fall season, 144-109, to Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon.

-Senior Phillip Graeter won the 100-yard backstroke in 52.96 seconds while junior Jake Mortensen followed closely behind to take third with a time of 53.80.  

-Graeter continued a strong showing earning the top spot in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:55.98 and placing second in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:55.33. 

-Sophomore Garrett Cottingham touched the wall in 59.20 to win the 100-yard breaststroke before finishing second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:10.66.

-Senior Luke Quimby won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 21.84 seconds before taking second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.36 seconds, just ahead of classmate Niklas Glenesk who took third in 48.54.  

-The 200-yard Medley relay team of junior Jake Mortensen, freshman Oliver Keegan, Cottingham and Quimby earned a second-place finish with a time of 1:37.51.  

-The Colonials will return to the pool on Jan. 11 at the Rhode Island Invitational. 

Women's Basketball

-GW dropped a crosstown match-up to local foe Georgetown, 70-54, on Saturday afternoon at the Charles E. Smith Center. 

-Graduate student Tara Booker matched her season high with 20 points, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.  Booker's six three-pointers were the most by a Colonials player this season and equaled her career best.  

-The Colonials could not match a strong first half in the final 20 minutes of the game, shooting just 29 percent compared to 43 percent in the first stanza. 

Men's Basketball

-GW defeated Manhattan College, 67-55, at the Verizon Center in the opening game of the 18th annual BB&T Classic on Sunday afternoon. 

-Senior Isaiah Armwood led all players with a career-high 23 points to go along with nine rebounds and six blocks. Armwood's performance included a perfect 7-7 showing at the free throw line. 

-Senior Lasan Kromah tied his season-high mark of 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and a 7-of-9 effort at the free throw line. 

-GW's defense, led by freshman Patricio Garino, held Manhattan's leading scorer to just nine points - 10 below his average - while stifling the Jaspers to just 33.9 percent overall on the day.

Women's soccer junior Jane Wallis has been named GW's Community Service Athlete of the Month for November.

The Community Service Athlete of the Month award, a distinction which started this year, goes to the student-athlete who leads by example and who most impacts the GW and Washington communities through service.

"Jane is an excellent leader both on and off the field and she has been a fantastic role model for our team," first-year head women's soccer coach Sarah Barnes said. "Jane is committed to serving others and she understands the value of making an impact on others' lives."

A three-year member of the Grassroot Colonials Program, which partners with Georgetown and Howard to bring HIV/AIDS education to at-risk middle schools in the District of Columbia, Jane currently serves as the organization's Program Coordinator. Through Jane's leadership, the Grassroot program has seen membership more than double its participation from last year and GW students are now present in 10 middle schools across the District.

"We are not just there to teach about HIV/AIDS, but to help the kids understand that they have the ability to be resilient, make their own choices, and have the confidence to do so," said Wallis.

This past summer Jane, along with lacrosse sophomore Mackenzie Jones, cross country junior Jackson Carnes, and rowing senior Lauren Byrne, was chosen to become part of the Grassroot Leaders Team and was invited to attend a three-day national conference in Orlando, Fla., that consisted of intensive leadership training.

Most recently, Jane helped coordinate efforts for the Grassroot graduation, a ceremony to recognize the students' completion of the Grassroot program in the Colonials' Charles E. Smith Center.

"Jane's motivation and commitment to service in the first three months of classes, as well as during her soccer season, have helped transform this signature GW program," said Ted Costigan, GW Athletics Life Skills Coordinator.

The Colonials continued play over Thanksgiving weekend as basketball season gets into full swing:

Men's Basketball
-GW shot nearly 62 percent in Saturday's 80-56 victory over Hofstra at the Charles E. Smith Center.

-Senior Lasan Kromah led the Colonials with 15 points followed by freshman Kevin Larsen with 14 points and six rebounds. 
-Senior Isaiah Armwood recorded his first double-double as a Colonial with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds with five blocks. 

-GW had its largest lead of the day at 27 points with 1:57 left on the clock while shooting 71 percent in the second half.  The 24-point margin of victory was the biggest of Coach Mike Lonergan's tenure at GW.
-The Colonials' defense held the Hofstra Pride to just 31.7 percent shooting for the game.

Women's Basketball

-The Colonials struggled at Virginia Tech on Sunday suffering a 50-31 loss at the Hokies' Cassell Coliseum.

-Sophomore Chakecia Miller led GW with seven points while senior Megan Nipe contributed six points and a team-high five rebounds.

-The Colonials shot just 24.4 percent from the floor while the Hokies sunk 40.4 percent of their shots.

The Colonials head into Thanksgiving week after a slew of strong performances over the weekend: 

Men's Squash

-GW split a weekend doubleheader with a loss to No. 15 Bates before stunning No. 9 Penn at the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts at Lerner Health & Wellness Center to improve the squad's record to 4-1.

-Freshmen Ahmed Abdel-Latif, James Reiss, Reid Breck and senior Omar Sobhy earned GW's wins in the 5-4 loss to Bates on Saturday.  

-The Colonials overcame a 4-3 deficit to defeat No. 9 Penn with victories by Breck, Abdel-Latif, Sobhy, Reiss and senior Islam El-Fiky.

-Reiss went the distance in his No. 4 match to clinch the upset.  

Women's Squash

-The Colonials upset No. 12 Bates but fell to No. 5 Penn to split a pair of matches on Saturday at the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts at Lerner Health & Wellness Center.

-Key victories by junior Maya Nair, freshman Sarah Allen and sophomore Adriana Calderon at matches 7-9 put GW in good position to upset the No. 12 ranked Bates.

-Freshman Alexa Tzarnas' five-set win at No. 5 put the Colonials just one win away from taking the match.

-A victory by freshman Anna Gabriela Porras at No. 1 solidified the Colonial's clinch.

-GW dropped the nightcap, 9-0, to No. 5 ranked Penn and is now 2-1 on the young season. 

Cross Country

-The GW women finished eighth out of 19 teams at the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship on Saturday in Van Cortland Park in the Bronx to end the fall season. 

-Senior Heather Stevens crossed the finish line first for the Colonials with a time of 18:43 on the 5,000-meter course, earning her an impressive 8th place out of 177 runners. 

-Seniors Juliana Stern and Julia Weir put forth top-50 efforts with 21st (19:11) and 26th (19:18) place finishes, respectively.

-GW's men finished out their fall season with a 10th-place finish out of 16 teams at the IC4A Championships, also held in Van Cortland Park in the Bronx.

-Freshman Ryan Tucker was GW's top finisher, taking 26th place with a time of 26:58 out of 151 runners.

-Sophomore John-Louis Pane and freshman Kyle Ames also finished in the top-50 for the Colonials with 30th (27:08) and 40th (27:15) place performances, respectively.

Women's Swimming

-The Colonials finished third in a field of 10 at the three-day Patriot Invitational at George Mason's Jim McKay Natatorium over the weekend.  

-Junior Caroline Myers and freshman Madison Reinker took second and third in the 500-yard freestyle, respectively,on Day 1 with times of 5:00.57 and 5:02.1.

-The Colonials' team of juniors Lindsay Moore, Sloan Saunders and sophomores Janica Lee and Morgan Zebley took third in the 400-yard medley relay with a season-best time of 3:52:21.  

-The 200-yard freestyle relay team of juniors Sydney Saunders, Sloan Saunders, and Lee and Zebley took second with a time of 1:36.68. 

-Juniors Sydney Saunders, Melissa Fernandez, Sloan Saunders and freshman Kally Vanderbilt clinched a second-place performance with a time of 3:39.49 in the 400-yard freestyle relay. 

-Myers earned second on the final day of competition with a time of 17:06.53 in the 1,650-yard freestyle.  

Men's Swimming

-GW took home sixth out of eight teams in the weekend's Patriot Invitational at George Mason's Jim McKay Natatorium.

-Senior Phillip Graeter earned third place in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:53.78.

-Graeter, senior Niklas Glenesk and freshmen Oliver Keegan and Jordan Sharples posted a time of 6:54.40 in the 800-yard freestyle relay to earn third place. 

-Sharples took home third in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.17, a season-best time. 

-Sophomore Garrett Cottingham and Keegan brought home a pair of third-place finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:97.46) and 200-yard butterfly (1:51.90), respectively.

Men's Basketball

-GW picked up its first win of the season by defeating Boston University, 72-59, at Case Gym in Boston on Saturday.

-Freshman Joe McDonald led all scorers with 21 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line. 

-Senior Isaiah Armwood added a career-high eight blocks while snatching a game-high 12 rebounds and scoring six points for the Colonials.  

-GW shot 52.2 percent (24-46) from the floor while its defense held BU to just 32.4 percent (22-68). 

Women's Basketball

-The Colonials improved their record to 2-1 with a 58-51 victory over William & Mary on Sunday afternoon at the Charles E. Smith Center.

-Graduate student Tara Booker led GW with a game-high 20 points while shooting 7-for-14, including 3-for-6 from behind the arc. 

-Senior Megan Nipe was the only other Colonial to score in double figures, posting 12 points on the day. 

-Graduate student Brooke Wilson recovered a game-high eight rebounds, as GW outrebounded William & Mary, 47-41.  

Some walked for personal reasons.  Others walked to support a teammate.

George Washington's softball team walked together to become one of Autism Speak's top three donors for the organization's Walk Now event on Nov. 3, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  The Colonials raised $1,645 in donations for the Autism Speaks Walk that boasted over 9,000 participants.

Autism Speaks is a non-profit organization that works to increase awareness as well as raise funds for research and serve as a support service for individuals touched by autism.  Autism Speaks holds "Walk Now" events across the country throughout the year in an effort to engage supporters, inform the population about autism, and bring together individuals touched by the cause in addition to raising funds.

The softball team's participation in the walk was spearheaded by sophomore catcher Samantha Dos Santos.  The criminal justice major encouraged her teammates to show support and join a cause that touches her family.  With a cousin who has autism and a family member who has created a non-profit organization - Puzzle Peace Now, which supports the costs of raising children with special needs - Dos Santos felt strongly about participating in the walk as a team.

"With my personal experience with autism, I feel that there is little societal awareness about the impact it has. Every 20 minutes a child is diagnosed with autism, and it will affect both the child and his or her family for the rest of their lives," said Dos Santos.

Head coach Stacey Schramm was recently notified by Autism Speaks that her squad was one of the top three fundraising teams in this year's D.C. walk.  While the coaching staff and administration were impressed by the team's efforts, no one was prouder than Dos Santos.

"I am so thrilled to be a part of GW softball, and so proud of my team for rallying behind the cause and raising an incredible $1,645," she said. "With every dollar raised more research can be conducted and programs are funded so a child has the opportunity to feel more comfortable in his or her own skin. Overall, the Autism Walk was a wonderful experience and we, as a team, feel extremely honored to be recognized by this amazing organization for our efforts."

Basketball season kicked off as fall sports continued to close out their seasons in the weekend's action: 

 

Women's Basketball

-GW opened the season with a big 80-47 victory over UT Arlington on Friday at the Charles E. Smith Center.

-An impressive second half saw the Colonials outscore the Mavericks 53-23 in first-year head coach Jonathan Tsipis' debut.

-Senior Danni Jackson led the charge with 13 points while seniors Megan Nipe and Shi-Heria Shipp and sophomore Chakecia Miller also posted double-digit performances.

-Graduate student Sara Mostafa pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, as GW dominated UTA on the glass, 54-35.

-Sophomore Maria Saia and freshmen Anjaleace White, Alexis Chandler, Aaliyah Brown and DaLacy Anderson all contributed to the win in their first collegiate appearances.

 

Men's Basketball

-The Colonials suffered a close 80-73 loss to Youngstown State on Saturday in their season opener at the Charles E. Smith Center.

-Senior Isaiah Armwood opened the season with an alley-opp dunk off of the opening tip and had another two-point slam to tie the game at 71-71 with 58 seconds left en route to a team-high 18 points in his GW debut.

-Freshman Patricio Garino also posted a notable debut with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Garino's 13 points are the most by a GW freshman in a debut since Tamal Forchion scored 14 points against Marshall in Nov. 2001. 

 

Volleyball

-The Colonials came up just short of an Atlantic 10 berth as a 3-1 loss to A-10 foe Duquesne closed out GW's season on Saturday.

-Senior Lauren Whyte recorded her 40th career double-double with 19 kills and 18 digs to bring her career kills to 1,625, second all-time at GW.

-Sophomore Kelsey Newman led the match with 19 kills while also contributing 18 digs and three aces.

-Senior Candace Silva-Martin added 21 digs to bring her A-10 all-time leading total to 2,126.

 

Squash

-GW's men's team recorded two 9-0 shutouts over No. 25 Hobart and Kenyon College at the Navy Round Robin on Sunday to continue an undefeated 3-0 start to the season.

-All of GW's men won their matches in straight sets over Kenyon opponents, while eight of nine matches against No. 25 Hobart were won in straight sets by Colonials.

-GW's women scrimmaged the Naval Academy's male junior varsity team and fell by a narrow 5-4 margin.

-Junior Adriana Calderon, and freshmen Emely Levyn and Alexa Tzarnas all won in straight sets. Junior Elizabeth Tapley added a 3-1 decision.

-Both the men's and women's squads are ranked No. 16 and will host fellow ranked opponents of Bates College and Penn on Sunday at Lerner Health & Wellness Center.

 

 

Men's Swimming

-GW fell to Towson, 162-117, on Saturday afternoon at the Tiger's Burdick Pool.

-Senior Phillip Graeter took home first place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.68, the 200-yard backstroke in 1:54.72, and the 400-yard individual medley in 4:08.37 to round out a strong performance.

-Sophomore Garret Cottingham won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.81 as well as the 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:10.77 time.

-Senior Luke Quimby placed first in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing in 21.26 seconds as well as the 100-yard freestyle in 41.11 seconds. Quimby also helped the 400-yard freestyle relay team to a .02 victory with a time of 3.11.64.

 

Women's Swimming

-The Colonials dropped their first road dual meet of the season in a 211-82 loss to Towson on Saturday.

-Junior Caroline Myers led the Colonials with two first-place finishes. Myers touched the wall first in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:18.16 and won the 400-yard individual medley in a time of 4:37.99.

-Sophomore Janica Lee took first place in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:25.39 and posted a 1:08.04 for a second-place finish in the 100 yard breaststroke.

 

Sailing

-GW posted four race victories in its final two regattas of its first semester as a varsity sport.

-Senior Skye Kussmann and freshman Hannah McNomee won a pair of races at the Brennan Russell Memorial Regatta in Newport News, Va., over the weekend en route to a third place B Division finish.

-Freshmen Jay Spector and Madeline Taggart also took home a first-place finish at the Brennan Russell Regatta as part of their second-place showing in A Division.

-Freshman Maria Sinagra and sophomore Matthew Ricci put forth a race winning effort in the Atlantic Coast Tournament in St. Mary's City, Md., and finished 12th on the weekend in the B Division.

-Seniors Ian Conners and Rebecca Engel finished second in their first race on the weekend as the duo took 13th in the Atlantic Coast Tournament's A Division.

 

Cross Country

-GW's women finished 21st out of 31 teams at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday.

-Seniors Heather Stevens and Juliana Stern set personal records with times of 22:07 and 22:48, respectively, in the 6,000-meter race.

-The men posted their best-ever finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional with a 20th-place finish out of 25 teams.

-Freshman Ryan Tucker led the way for the Colonials with a 32:40 finish of the 10,000-meter course.

-Classmate Kyle Ames was GW's next best finisher with a time of 33:31.

-Both the men and women will finish up their seasons next weekend at the IC4A/ECAC Championship at Van Cortland Park in New York City.

While many George Washington students will cast their ballots and keep a close eye on the 2012 Presidential election, one GW student-athlete will be voting as well - for himself - and hoping that many others do the same - 13,000 to be exact.  GW sailing junior William Broman is on the ballot back in his hometown of Grosse Pointe, Mich., as a School Board hopeful. 

A 2010 graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School - part of the Grosse Pointe school system - Broman believes he knows first-hand what improvements need to be made in the schools. 

Broman has used his time at GW as a tool to build a strong campaign.  Involvement in College Republicans and an environment of political expertise has allowed the young candidate to create a strong and well-advised platform. 

"You wouldn't think that a school board race would get very political, but there are a lot of people that play the political game with education and it just doesn't work out," said Broman.  "It really helps me to have the expertise of a lot of different people at GW that I've met in DC or through College Republicans."

Broman is running against two incumbent members who are hoping to beat out the GW junior for two Board positions.  Despite concerns of extended absence from home as a GW student-athlete, Broman is fully committed to successfully carry out Board duties if elected.  Broman intends to travel home, as well as utilize video conferencing technology, to fully embrace a role as a Board member.  Fittingly, Broman is pushing for incorporation of technology in the classroom and an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.

Rather than spend Election Day on campus, Broman opted to return home to vote and greet Grosse Pointe residents as they head to the polls, reminding them that the School Board is also on the ballot.  Along with participating in a Presidential election for the first time, the 20-year-old biomedical engineering major says it's the experience of voting for himself that has made this Election Day memorable thus far.  

"I got to mark my own name on the ballot this morning," said Broman.  "It was pretty surreal."

Broman hopes to capture 13,000 votes - roughly one third of the most recent Board election turnout in 2008 - when polls close Tuesday night.

On Election Day 2012, a President and a Colonial share the same ballot.