In line with the university's initiative of community service, all of GW's 23 varsity teams commit time to give back to the district. On October 13th, the GW Gymnastics team spent much of its day assisting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's 'Light The Night' event in Washington, D.C.
'Light The Night' is a series of fundraising walks of varying length held across the country. The event gets its name from the way that its volunteers illuminate the night sky by distributing glowing balloons to participants who raise $100 or more for the cause. The walks are held each fall and welcome individual, group, and corporate supporters. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society uses funds raised to help fuel its support and research efforts for those battling cancer.
'Light The Night' has become an annual event for GW's gymnastics team.
"We have participated in this event the last four years, and I believe the team participated in years before as well," said senior Stephanie Stoicovy. "They recognize our name and always welcome us back when we ask if we can volunteer."
The team devoted their time to the children present at the event by operating the Kid Zone. This duty included assisting and supervising activities such as Dance Dance Revolution, spin art and bracelet making, and many other games. The Colonials enjoyed working with the children and look forward to continuing their annual participation in 'Light The Night.'
"It felt great to give back to our community right here in D.C.," said Stoicovy. "It was very nice to see the smiles we helped put on the children's faces! Everyone should make time to give back to the community and help others; as our volunteer shirts said, 'I walk because someone's life depends on it.'"
Click Here to view more photos from gymnastics' 'Light the Night' experience
Here's how the Colonials fared over a busy weekend of fall competition,
Men's Soccer
-Sophomore goalkeeper Luke Farrell recorded his first career shutout on Friday as GW defeated A-10 foe Rhode Island by a score of 2-0.
-Freshman Glen Sousa's 40-yard free kick found its way into the back of the net for his first collegiate goal and the Colonials' first goal of the match against the Rams.
-Senior Seth Rudolph provided the insurance goal for his 28th career goal, moving him into a tie for seventh-place all-time at GW.
-Seniors Zach Abaie, Alejandro Almodovar, Daniel Ripperger-Suhler, and Seth Rudolph were honored in a Senior Day ceremony prior to Sunday's 3-0 loss to UMass.
Women's Soccer
-GW lost a close 1-0 match on Friday to A-10 rival URI.
-The Colonials dropped the final road match of the regular season to UMASS by a score of 4-0 on Sunday afternoon.
-GW recorded 9 shots on the weekend.
-The team returns home next weekend for the final games of the regular season, taking on A-10 newcomer Butler for the first time ever on Friday and facing Saint Louis on Sunday.
-Seniors Molly Bruh, Samie Cloutier, Moya, Clare Roche, and Kayley Sullivan will be honored in a Senior Day ceremony prior to Sunday's match against SLU.
Volleyball
-Senior Candace Silva-Martin became the fourth player in Atlantic 10 history to reach 2,000 career digs in Friday's 3-0 loss at VCU.
-The Colonials posted a season-high 15.0 team blocks in Saturday's 3-1 defeat of Charlotte with three different players recording at least six blocks.
-GW mirrored a strong defensive performance with eight service aces in the win over the 49ers.
-Senior Lauren Whyte led the squad with her 38th career double-double, notching 15 kills and 11 digs while recording a match-high 16.5 points.
Men's Tennis
-GW completed the opening three days of the USTA/ITA Atlantic Regional Championship over the weekend at the University of Virginia.
-Junior Nikita Fomin received a first-round singles bye and defeated two opponents before dropping his round of 16 match to the tournament's No. 4 seed and No. 52 nationally ranked Alexis Huegas of VCU.
-Junior Ulrik Tomsen defeated two main draw foes before falling to the No. 1 seed and the nation's No. 2 ranked player Jarmere Jenkins of Virginia.
-In doubles action, the duo of Fomin and freshman Danil Zelenkov won four straight matches, including an upset of the tournament's No. 3 seed and 28th-ranked doubles team in the country, to advance to the semifinals and will face the No. 47 ranked doubles pair UVA's Justin Shane and Julen Uriguen on Monday afternoon.
Women's Tennis
-The Colonials competed in the USTA/ITA Atlantic Regional hosted by Virginia over the weekend to conclude fall play.
-Freshman Lana Robins won two qualifying matches as well as Round 1 of the singles main draw before falling to the tournament's No. 1 seed and the nation's No. 52 ranked Petra Januskova on Sunday.
-The doubles pair of Robins and senior Mimi Hamling advanced to the round of eight but were stopped by Virginia's Maci Epstein and Erin Vierra.
Men's Water Polo
-Freshman goalkeeper Connor Dillon recorded a career-high nine saves in his first collegiate start in GW's 10-6 victory over Iona on Saturday.
-GW dropped the second match of the day to No. 17 ranked Princeton by a score of 13-6.
-Freshman Bogdan Petkovic led the Colonials with three goals in the match against the nationally ranked Tigers.
-The Colonials finish regular-season play against Navy on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Annapolis, Md.
Sailing
-GW placed 11th out of 20 teams in this weekend's Kings Point Dinghy Open, a tune-up for next weekend's War Memorial MAISA Fall Coed Championship.
-Three Colonials sailed in the A Division and took home a trio of top-five finishes under senior skipper Ian Conners.
-Conners and seniors Skye Kussmann and Rebecca Engel put forth a 10th place effort overall in the A Division.
-Freshman skipper Jay Spector combined with classmate Henry Young and senior Richard Sant to capture 15th place in the B Division.
-Spector and Young highlighted their weekend with a third-place showing in Race #2.
Golf
-GW currently holds 15th place in a field of 18 through Round 1 of the three-day 33rd annual Old Dominion/Outer Banks Collegiate Invitational at the par-72, 6,535-yard Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C.
-Freshman Michael Helton leads the Colonials with a 3-over 75 performance to tie him in 25th place.
-Sophomore Jack Persons is tied for 32nd just one stroke behind Helton with a 4-over 76.
-Round 2 play resumes on Monday.
Earlier
this week, George Washington's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC)
revealed Adopt-A-Team, a new community service initiative pairing
varsity sports with GW's Greek Life. The announcement was made by both
SAAC members and members of the Greek Life community at Monday evening's
SAAC meeting, and student-athletes are already looking forward to
working on future service projects with members of GW's fraternities and
sororities.
The partnership was established in conjunction with the Athletic Department's desire to increase the involvement of student-athletes within the community while facilitating the interaction between student-athletes and the rest of the student body. Ten fraternities and sororities are paired with all 23 of GW's varsity sports and aim to come together for both one-time philanthropic events as well as long-term service projects.
Last year, Greek Life completed 60,000 hours of community service and looks to increase service hours as a result of the new partnership.
"By adding over 450 athletes that are committed to doing service this year, the Center for Student Engagement and GW Athletics believe this partnership will achieve more service hours," said Joey Maman, Greek Life Residence Director. "We're very excited to see the positive outcome of this partnership."
In addition to boosting community involvement, student-athletes hope that the partnership will help build relationships between student-athletes and the rest of the student body.
"One of the big goals with SAAC this year was to work with the Student Association to bridge the gap between student-athletes and non-student-athletes," said SAAC president Alex Dadds, a senior on the men's cross country team. "The Adopt-A-Team program is just one way we are working to bridge that gap. We know that our fans are one of the biggest drivers for our teams' success, so by participating in community service activities with the rest of the student body, student-athletes have the opportunity to be seen as more than just athletes."
The student-athletes look forward to achieving their community service goals hand-in-hand with members of Greek Life throughout the duration of the year.
"We cannot stress how excited we are with our new partnership with Greek Life," said Stephan Franke, a senior swimmer and SAAC general body member. "Through our new partnership, GW Athletics will strengthen both our bond with GW students and our fellow Washingtonians."
The partnership was established in conjunction with the Athletic Department's desire to increase the involvement of student-athletes within the community while facilitating the interaction between student-athletes and the rest of the student body. Ten fraternities and sororities are paired with all 23 of GW's varsity sports and aim to come together for both one-time philanthropic events as well as long-term service projects.
Last year, Greek Life completed 60,000 hours of community service and looks to increase service hours as a result of the new partnership.
"By adding over 450 athletes that are committed to doing service this year, the Center for Student Engagement and GW Athletics believe this partnership will achieve more service hours," said Joey Maman, Greek Life Residence Director. "We're very excited to see the positive outcome of this partnership."
In addition to boosting community involvement, student-athletes hope that the partnership will help build relationships between student-athletes and the rest of the student body.
"One of the big goals with SAAC this year was to work with the Student Association to bridge the gap between student-athletes and non-student-athletes," said SAAC president Alex Dadds, a senior on the men's cross country team. "The Adopt-A-Team program is just one way we are working to bridge that gap. We know that our fans are one of the biggest drivers for our teams' success, so by participating in community service activities with the rest of the student body, student-athletes have the opportunity to be seen as more than just athletes."
The student-athletes look forward to achieving their community service goals hand-in-hand with members of Greek Life throughout the duration of the year.
"We cannot stress how excited we are with our new partnership with Greek Life," said Stephan Franke, a senior swimmer and SAAC general body member. "Through our new partnership, GW Athletics will strengthen both our bond with GW students and our fellow Washingtonians."
Weekends as a George Washington student-athlete are often full of games, practices or workouts. Last Saturday, the GW women's water polo team got their workout in by volunteering with Kids Enjoying Exercise Now (KEEN).
KEEN is a volunteer-led non-profit organization that provides one-to-one recreational opportunities for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities at no cost to their families and caregivers. KEEN's mission is to foster the self-esteem, confidence, skills and talents of its athletes through non-competitive activities, allowing young people facing even the most significant challenges to meet their individual goals.
"We wanted to do something sports-related (for community service), and KEEN has a really cool program where we got to make a difference and have fun at the same time," said senior Jessie Hurd, who found the organization and arranged for the team to volunteer.
There are KEEN programs in many sports, including KEEN Tennis, KEEN Swim, KEEN Bowling and KEEN Fit. Since there is no KEEN water polo, the GW women's water polo team volunteered with another sport they know something about - KEEN Swim.
The squad arrived at Georgetown Preparatory School in Rockville, Md., for a quick training session. Each GW student-athlete was partnered with a KEEN athlete after receiving profiles of the KEEN athletes' age, disability and swimming ability to prepare each volunteer to meet her partner.
"We were really prepared for the type of behavior to expect from the athletes," said sophomore Jessie Sinkula. "The leaders of KEEN Swim made it really easy to feel comfortable interacting with the athletes, especially for the people on the team who had never interacted with a disabled child before. It was a good experience."
The Colonials met their athletes and played with them in the pool for 50 minutes, getting the KEEN athletes comfortable in the water, teaching them how to blow bubbles and playing games.
"As an athlete, I was absolutely moved by the pure joy these kids got from just being in the water, and it helped reinvigorate my own love for water polo," said freshman Caroline Sandri. "Working with my KEEN athlete, an adult with autism, and sharing a tearful goodbye hug at the end is a memory I will never forget."
KEEN Swim takes place once a month, and the team is planning to return to volunteer again in November.
KEEN is headquartered in D.C. with other locations nationwide. KEEN Greater DC now operates 23 programs throughout the area.
There is certainly no lack of internships available to GW students each summer, but one baseball student-athlete landed his dream opportunity.
Kenny O'Brien, a senior pitcher on the GW baseball team, spent his break interning with the
Advertising & Marketing Department at the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. His job duties included market research for all 30 teams, attendance analysis, and other marketing-related projects.
"It was the perfect opportunity," O'Brien said. "Because I was able to live at home in Yonkers, N.Y., commute to the Office of the Commissioner on 46th and Park in New York City, take a summer online course at night, and still find a way to work out and pitch about 40 innings over the summer in a local league."
Even with such a busy schedule, O'Brien maintains he loved the opportunity, especially considering the perks involved with the job. Not only did he attend Mets games at Citi Field with the other interns, but he experienced the preparations for the All-Star Game in Kansas City firsthand as well.
"The office itself was an awesome place to work everyday," he explained. "On my first day I made the wrong turn on the 34th floor and found myself in front of a replica of Wrigley Field's ivy-covered wall."
As an economics major, O'Brien gained invaluable insight into the sports industry and the game he plays on a daily basis. Because of the internship, he knows he wants to work in baseball in the future.
First comes his senior season with the baseball team, however, where he'll look to translate his new Major League Baseball savvy into team success for the Colonials, under new head coach and former big league hitting coach, Gregg Ritchie.
GW men's basketball senior guard Lasan Kromah was chosen as a preseason
Fourth Team All-Atlantic 10 selection by College Sports Madness earlier
this week.
One of three starters set to return to the Colonials' lineup this season, Kromah is the team's leading returning scorer at 11.1 points per game in 2011-12, his first season back after missing the entire 2010-11 campaign with a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot.
An A-10 All-Rookie Team selection in 2010, Kromah finished second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (2.5 apg) and blocks (0.6 bpg) last winter. He also led the squad and ranked seventh in the A-10 in steals (1.7 spg), highlighted by a new GW single-game program record nine steals against UAB last December.
Kromah and the Colonials have just over two weeks to prepare for their first game action of 2012-13 with an exhibition against Catholic on Saturday, Nov. 3.
One of three starters set to return to the Colonials' lineup this season, Kromah is the team's leading returning scorer at 11.1 points per game in 2011-12, his first season back after missing the entire 2010-11 campaign with a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot.
An A-10 All-Rookie Team selection in 2010, Kromah finished second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (2.5 apg) and blocks (0.6 bpg) last winter. He also led the squad and ranked seventh in the A-10 in steals (1.7 spg), highlighted by a new GW single-game program record nine steals against UAB last December.
Kromah and the Colonials have just over two weeks to prepare for their first game action of 2012-13 with an exhibition against Catholic on Saturday, Nov. 3.
@GWCrossCountry | USTFCCCA Regional Rankings
For the first time in program history, the George Washington women's cross country has garnered a regional ranking in the latest edition of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll.
The Colonials are currently ranked 15th in the poll,
which includes Atlantic 10 rivals La Salle (7th), Duquesne (9th) and
GW used a 13th-place finish (out of 28 teams) at last weekend's Princeton Invitational to vault into the regional rankings. As a team, the Colonials have registered one top-five and two top-10 finishes this season.
The Colonials have next weekend off as they prepare for the
Atlantic 10 Championships on October 27 at
GW finished in 11th-place at last year's A-10 Championship while its highest finish at the event came in 1997 when the Colonials took fifth-place at nearby Bull Run Park in Centerville, Va.
Here's a look at GW's performances over the weekend,
Volleyball
Volleyball
-The
Colonials are riding a four-match winning streak after defeating A-10
rivals LaSalle and Temple over the weekend at the Charles E. Smith
Center.
-GW claimed a straight-set victory over LaSalle on Friday
night as sophomore Kelsey Newman recorded a .409 attack percentage with
10 kills against just one error in 22 attempts.
-Sophomore Landon Garvik contributed a career-high six blocks while
freshman Alexis Huntey recorded 28 assists in the setter position and
senior Candace Silva-Martin posted a team-high 17 digs.
-Sunday's match against Temple went the distance before the Colonials claimed their fourth-straight conference win.
-Senior Lauren Whyte posted the fifth double-double of her
career, and 37th of her career, with a match-high 26 kills and 24 digs.
-Freshman Alexis Huntey recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 51 assists and 17 digs.
-The
Colonials defense was marked by a season-high 13.0 team blocks with
junior Jamie Armstrong leading the way with eight while Huntey
contributed six.
Men's Soccer
-Senior Seth
Rudolph moved to eighth place on the Colonials' all-time goals list as
he scored for the 27th time on Sunday in a 2-1 loss to Fordham.
-GW went step-for-step with the Rams until the decision-maker was scored with 1:11 left on the clock.
Women's Soccer
-Freshman goalkeeper Nicole Fasano recorded a career-high 10 saves in GW's tough 1-0 loss to Atlantic 10 leader LaSalle, which is ranked No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of American Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll.
-In Sunday's match at Fordham, freshman Kristi Abbate's goal knotted the match at one with just 53 seconds left in regulation play, forcing overtime.
-The Colonials could not find the back of the net as Fordham's game-winning goal found the back of the net off of a deflection by Fasano to tip the scale in Fordham's favor.
-Sophomore Nicole Belfonti led the Colonials with three shots on Sunday while Abbate and seniors Molly Bruh and Kayley Sullivan each took two.
Cross Country
-The women's team took 13th out of 28 teams at the Princeton Invitational on Saturday at the West Windsor Fields.
-Senior Heather Stevens recorded a new personal best in the
6,000-meter with a time of 22:14 earning her a 22nd-place finish out of
219 runners.
-Sophomores Katie Bishop, Aubrey Gunnels, and
Erica Halvorson also set personal bests with times of 23:38, 24:05, and
24:33, respectively.
-All six of GW's men set personal bests as the squad ran to a
16th-place finish out of 28 teams at the Princeton Invitational on
Saturday afternoon.
-Freshman Ryan Tucker broke his previous
best time by nearly two minutes as his 25:13 time earned him 60th place
out of 212 runners in the 8,000-meter event.
-Senior Alex Dadds improved by the next highest margin shaving 45
seconds off his previous personal record with his 95th-place 24:34
finish followed by sophomore John-Louis Pane's 42 second improvement,
setting a new PR of 25:58 in his 24th-place performance.
-The Colonials will next run in the Atlantic 10 Championships later this month.
Men's Water Polo
-Sophomore Ridvan Pehlivan led GW with three goals in Sunday's 13-8 loss to Southern Division rival Bucknell.
-Senior goalkeeper Camerin Illes added to his program-leading career saves total with 11 denials in the contest.
-The
Colonials' next match on Wednesday will serve as Senior Night and will
recognize seniors Illes, John Paul Bezerra and Guy Helman as well as
graduate student Milos Purkovic.
Sailing
-GW's first team of
freshman Maria Sinagra and sophomore Matthew Ricci in the A Division and
freshman Hannah McNomee and junior Sloan Dickey in the B Division
combined for a sixth-place showing out of 15 teams at the North #2
Regatta hosted by Cornell on Cayuga Lake over the weekend.
-Sinagra and Ricci placed fourth in the A Division with 10 top-five finishes, including a victory and a second-place showing.
-McNomee
and Dickey's weekend was highlighted by three top-five finishes
including a third-place finish on Sunday en route to earning ninth-place
in the B Division.
-The Colonials' second team of freshmen Benjamin Helfand and Alix
Suter in the A Division and freshman Michael Ince and junior Christopher
Nolfi in the B Division claimed 11th place.
-Helfand and Suter recorded a pair of top-five finishes, while Ince and Nolfi sailed to four top-five performances.
Women's Tennis
-GW competed
in the fourth annual Navy Blue and Gold Invitational at the Midshipmen's
Brigade Sports Complex in Annapolis, Md. over the weekend.
-Senior Dorota Lysienia won the Flight C consolation singles final on Sunday after defeating Navy's Mikaela Carlson 6-1, 6-3.
-Junior
Leah Pascarella in Flight A, senior Mimi Hamling in Flight B, and
junior Isabella Escobar in Flight D all reached the semifinals of their
respective brackets before being eliminated.
-In doubles play, the duo of Hamling and freshman Lana Robins
defeated Towson's Ariel Burke and Cailey Easdale in Flight A by a score
of 8-1.
Women's Swimming
-GW dominated the field in the weekend's tri-meet with American and
Catholic at AU's Reeves Aquatic Center, amassing 239 points through 13
events while American and Catholic earned 55 and 41, respectively .
- The Colonials won all but one of the 13 events over the two-day span.
-Sophomore Janica Lee and junior Caroline Myers each won four events throughout the weekend.
-In the 200-yard freestyle, GW took first through seventh places led by Myers with a time of 1:57:39.
-Freshman Hannah Schaefer won her first collegiate event with a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:01:90. Schaefer went on the win the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:13:46.
Men's Swimming
-The Colonials took second-place overall at the weekend's tri-meet with American and Catholic, trailing AU by just 14 points.
-Senior Phillip Graeter won the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:10:00 while junior teammate Jake Mortensen took fifth with a time of 4:25:00 in the same event.
-GW took the top three spots in the 200-yard freestyle, led by freshman Jordan Sharples with a time of 1:44:62. Sharples was followed by seniors Luke Quimby and Stephen Nelson with times of 1:46:84 and 1:48:87, respectively.
- The Colonials won all but one of the 13 events over the two-day span.
-Sophomore Janica Lee and junior Caroline Myers each won four events throughout the weekend.
-In the 200-yard freestyle, GW took first through seventh places led by Myers with a time of 1:57:39.
-Freshman Hannah Schaefer won her first collegiate event with a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:01:90. Schaefer went on the win the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:13:46.
Men's Swimming
-The Colonials took second-place overall at the weekend's tri-meet with American and Catholic, trailing AU by just 14 points.
-Senior Phillip Graeter won the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:10:00 while junior teammate Jake Mortensen took fifth with a time of 4:25:00 in the same event.
-GW took the top three spots in the 200-yard freestyle, led by freshman Jordan Sharples with a time of 1:44:62. Sharples was followed by seniors Luke Quimby and Stephen Nelson with times of 1:46:84 and 1:48:87, respectively.
Occoquan Chase Results | @GW_MensRowing
The George Washington men's rowing team opened its fall
racing schedule on Sunday at the Occoquan Chase in
GW raced a total of five boats on the afternoon and found success in each event they entered. The Colonials tallied two victories, two second-place finishes and a third-place showing.
In the Men's Open 8+ event, the Colonials entered two boats and finished in second- and third-place out of 13 crews, respectively. The Florida Institute of Technology won the event in 15:34.42 and was followed by GW's Varsity 8, which finished in 16:03.99. The Colonials second boat came in third place in 16:28.43.
Both of GW's freshman boats, the Freshman 8 and the Freshman 4, won their respective events in dominating fashion.
The Freshman 8 topped seven crews for a first-place finish in 16:52.10, nearly three minutes ahead of second-place George Mason. The Freshman 4 took first-place out of four boats in 18:12.08, almost three minutes ahead of George Mason, American and Old Dominion.
GW also raced a Varsity 4, consisting of all seniors, in the Open Men's 4+ event. The Colonials seniors finished in second place in 18:01.45, just 14 seconds behind an alumni boat from George Mason.
"Overall, it was a solid day of racing but I think our
Varsity 8 raced a little flat as they had some steering issues," said Head
Coach Mark Davis. "We are going to get back to practice this week and work hard
and get ready for Sunday's Head of the Charles up in
With Colonials Invasion in the books and the start of basketball season less than a month away, it's time for the annual doling out of preseason honors by media outlets.
Last week, graduate student Tara Booker was selected to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference First Team by College Sports Madness. Last season, Booker led GW in rebounding (7.0 rpg), blocks (1.1 bpg), field goal percentage (.429), three-point field goals made (47) and three-point percentage (.353) and ranked second in scoring (12.0 ppg) and steals (2.0 spg). One of two Colonials to start all 29 games, she ranked among A-10 leaders in most of those categories as well. The Galloway, N.J., native finished the season strong, averaging 14.7 ppg over her final six contests, tallying two of her four double-doubles during that stretch.
Booker enters the 2012-13 season sixth all-time at GW with 162 career three-pointers and 13th with 599 career rebounds.
The Colonials tip off the 2012-13 campaign on Friday, Nov. 9, when they host Texas-Arlington at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Smith Center. Tickets are available here. And you can follow GW women's basketball all season long on Twitter at @GW_WBB.
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