After last Friday's win over Duquesne, head volleyball coach Amanda Ault informed her team that Saturday would not be a typical practice day. Instead, Ault showed the team a video hinting at what the next day would entail.
The morning at the memorial left the Colonials with a deeper appreciation for our nation's capital and the sacrifices made by the visiting veterans.
"Having the opportunity to pay tribute to the World War II veterans through the Honor Flight Network has topped the list of the most memorable experience I have yet to have here in DC." said sophomore Landon Garvik. "That moment that I realized I was standing at the WWII memorial surrounded by the veterans who were being honored by that very setting in Washington, D.C. was an incredible feeling to say the least. I felt so grateful toward those men and women as I watched them remember their time of service and even heard stories about their extraordinary courage. GW volleyball was so excited to be a part of showing the Veterans that their efforts are not forgotten. I know for a few of the girls, myself included, this experience ignited a lot of pride within ourselves as we remembered our grandparents who also served along with those who were participating in the Honor Flight that day. This was a life-changing event for our entire team, and I know that each and every GW volleyball player and coach fully enjoyed spending time with people who risked their lives for our entire country. Never has going to school in Washington, D.C. meant more to me than on that morning. GW volleyball is more proud to be American than ever before. Even Maggie, from Norway, found an American bone in her body that morning, and we all continue to find the importance of giving thanks to the Veterans and heroes of all kinds!"
Click Here for more photos from volleyball's Honor Flight visit
The GW softball team took a morning off from practice Thursday to tour one of DC's most recognizable representations of our nation's government, the Capitol building. On the morning after the presidential hopefuls engaged in their first debate of the year, GW's Atlantic 10 runner-up squad put current politics aside to gain insight into the historical context surrounding that large white structure at the far end of the mall.
Former Congressman from Maine Jim Longley led the tour and recounted the history of the Capitol while pointing out the architectural and artistic mastery found throughout the building. During the tour, Longley shared stories of the great leadership displayed by George Washington that helped shape his fledgling nation. The discussion of leadership was appropriate for the time.
"I found it quite fitting that [Langley] emphasized this because we value leadership here within the GW athletics department. At a time when the softball team is choosing the 2012-13 captains, it was very fitting to learn how influential George Washington was, and more importantly, in a way that highlighted his integrity," said third-year head coach Stacey Schramm.
The Buff and Blue-clad student-athletes enjoyed their private tour and left with a newfound respect for the government and its intricate history.
"We learned a lot about our nation's history and the leadership and time that went into laying the foundations for the country we live in today," said senior outfielder Autumn Taylor. "I hope that learning about those individuals will help us grow as a team and realize how influential we can be as we rewrite the history of GW softball."
The George Washington women's rowing team opened the fall
portion of its schedule on Sunday afternoon at the Head of the
The Colonials entered three boats in the Women's Open 8 event, placing second, seventh and eighth overall out of nine crews.
The Varsity 8 finished in 15:46.4, behind
"It was good to get the first race of the fall season under our belt and expose some of the areas that we need to work on," said Head Coach Eric Carcich. "We have the type of the that I know that they are willing to work hard until they get it right."
Lineups
Varsity 8
Coxswain: Gabrielle Uzdin
8- Megan Culberson
7- Anna Kaminski
6- Christine Popp
5-
4- Emily Wilson
3- Helen Watson
2- Vanessa Morales
1- Claire Ashcraft
JV 8
Coxswain: Hayley Dannehower
8- Amanda Young
7- Lauren Tharp
6- Kara Corte
5- Annie Morse
4- Maley Hunt
3- Haley Evans
2- Brittany Riley
1- Nicola Licata
Freshman 8
Coxswain: Jen Nichols
8- Michaelah Townley
7- Paige Norman
6- Mikaela Duckworth
5- Brittany Ferlauto
4- Cassandra Moshfegh
3- Kate Welch
2- Arianna Deming
1- Emily Horgan
-The defending Atlantic 10 regular-season co-champions begin conference play this coming weekend with a pair of matches in the Virginia state capital - at Richmond on Friday and at VCU on Sunday.
Men's Water Polo
- Daniel
Tyner totaled 12 points (six goals, six assists) and Ridvan Pehlivan added five
goals and four ejections drawn as the GW Men's Water Polo team split its first
two home matches of the season. The Colonials narrowly fell to #15
- Cameron Illes earned CWPA Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week honors on Tuesday after registering 37 saves last weekend. It is the second time this season Illes has earned the honor and fourth time in his career.
Men's Tennis
- Freshman Nikita Fomin won four matches over three days to claim the Gold Singles championship at the UVA Ranked +1 Invitational. His weekend included two victories over ranked opponents.
- Sophomore
Francisco Dias, the 89th-ranked player in the country, upset 68th-ranked
Nelson Vick of
Women's Tennis
- Junior
Leah Pascarella won three matches in three days to clinch the Georgetown Classic singles championship at district rival
- The
doubles pair of senior Mimi Hamling and freshman Lana Robins won three matches,
including victories over pairs from UMBC and
Women's Soccer
- The Colonials remained unbeaten at home as Kristi Abbate and Taylor Katz each found the back of the net in a 2-0 victory over Howard on Friday.
- Freshman goalkeeper Shannon Murphy turned away three shots to post her first career shutout in her first career start for the Buff and Blue.
Sailing
- The
duo of freshman skipper Hannah McNomee and sophomore Meagan Murphy finished third in the B Division out of seven teams at the Princeton Women's Fall Open
in
- McNomee skippered her boat to victory in her first collegiate race on Saturday. McNomee and Murphy finished with 40 points, one behind second-place Cornell and 14 shy of overall winner Fordham.
Volleyball
- The Colonials opened Atlantic 10 play with a 3-0 sweep of Charlotte on Friday night. Senior Lauren Whyte was one of five players to post at least five kills, leading the way with 13 winners.
- On Saturday, VCU defeated the Colonials, 3-0.
Men' Soccer
- Senior Seth Rudolph scored his third goal of the season and 25th his career, but it was not enough as the Colonials fell, 2-1, to visiting UMBC on Saturday at the GW Soccer Field on the Mount Vernon Campus.
WHITE HOUSE TOUR PHOTO GALLERY
It was an "Only at GW" kind of morning on Tuesday.
A group of about 100 student-athletes, coaches and staff walked the six blocks from the Charles E. Smith Center
to the most famous address in the world - 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or the White
House - for a self-guided tour.
"It was a great learning experience for our student-athletes
to see our nation's most storied residence with all of the history and
artifacts," said GW Lifeskills coordinator Ted Costigan, who organized the trip
with the help of the White House's Office of Public Engagement.
"It was a privilege to be able to tour the White House this
morning," said gymnastics head coach Margie Foster-Cunningham. "To be able to
walk there from campus and get a behind-the-scenes look at the most famous
house in the world is such a unique opportunity that can only be afforded to GW
students."
While President Obama did not make an appearance, the group
was able to see a number of rooms in the East Wing of the White House,
including the East Room, which was the site of the President's press conference
following the death of Osama Bin Laden; the Green Room, which once served as
Thomas Jefferson's dining room; the Blue Room, which is often used by the
President to receive guests; the Red Room, where the First Lady hosts small
receptions; and the State Dining Room.
GW women's basketball alumna Jessica Adair was part of one
of the most recent groups to eat in the State Dining Room along with her WNBA
champion Minnesota Lynx teammates on their visit to the White House.
Secret Service agents were stationed in each room to answer
any of the group's questions, and when the tour was over, the student-athletes
found themselves on the White House front steps, usually only seen from the
other side of the black fence along Pennsylvania
Avenue.
"Almost every one of my friends back home in Germany has
heard of the White House, but nobody has ever had a chance to see it from the
inside," said men's swimming senior Phillip Graeter. "I was so honored to have
the opportunity to tour the White House with my fellow student-athletes today.
This experience completes my overall experience as a GW student-athlete in one
of the most exciting cities in the world."
"It was amazing and humbling to have gone to the White House
this morning," said women's soccer senior Molly Bruh. "It was incredible to
walk through the same rooms in which such historically great and influential
people have lived and interacted. This morning, we had practice at 7 a.m., took a
tour of the White House and made it back in time for our first class of the
day. Only at GW!"
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