It's a Gonzo Spring Time at GMHS

In 1998, soccer was moved to the spring. In 2003, two lacrosse teams were added. And so, in 2004, a whopping nine George Mason High School varsity sports will take to the (many) fields in what will be a three-month whirlwind for Mustang sports fans.

Scheduling for the nine varsity teams—baseball, softball, track & field, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis and boys and girls lacrosse—plus their JV counterparts was, no doubt, nightmarish. The season technically starts next Monday, March 8, when the boys lacrosse team hosts Bishop O’Connell of Arlington in a scrimmage. The kick-off is officially that Wednesday (March 10) when the boys tennis team hosts McLean (also, the baseball team plays a road game at Dominion that same day.)

Each varsity roster is about 20 players deep (give or take a few per team). Multiply that by nine plus the JV rosters and the number of students partaking in athletics this spring—at a high school of roughly 600 enrollment—is around 350. That’s over half the school’s population.

The Jack Gambill Athletic Fields will be abuzz this spring. For 39 of the next 75 days, at least one home sporting event will take place at Mason.

Not only is spring the busiest of seasons, but also the most successful for the Mustangs. In 2002, both girls and boys soccer teams took home Virginia state titles. For the boys, it was the third title in a six year span (the team also won in 1998 and 2000). The girls tried to follow up in ’03, reaching the state tournament, but falling short.

The boys tennis team took home the state crown in 1997 and both teams were state runners-up last season. The track & field program has consistently produced championship-calibur athletes, with back-to-back Bull Run District Runners of the Year Awards and individual state crowns in 2001 and 1996.

The lacrosse teams, now in their sophomore year, may struggle to earn the accolades of their cohorts, but not for lack of effort or depth. Both teams play in the talented Concorde District, filled with group AAA powerhouses from Fairfax County. But the program, whose reach extends all the way to Thomas Jefferson Elementary, is still growing and growing fast.

A few new faces will dot the fields as well. Mason athletic director Tom Horn is stepping down as baseball coach after eight years in the dugout. Horn, who was originally hired in 1995 as a baseball coach, has decided to devote his coaching time to football (which he coaches in the fall) and his work as AD, continuing to develop and improve the school’s athletics. Horn’s assistant, Adam Emerin, will replace him.

Also, Dan Wilkie, a math teacher in the high school and first-year girls basketball coach, takes over the boys tennis team.

The rosters too aren’t without change. Two-way star Christina Sedney, All-District in both tennis and soccer, graduated. In 2002, Sedney traveled to Radford to play in the state tournaments for both sports in which she starred. Her soccer mates are in good shape, however, led this year by seniors Becky Roa and Alison Penland.

Girls lacrosse will certainly miss last year’s leading scorer Mikki Ekfelt (transfer). The track team bid farewell to Mark Murchie and Annie Maynard, both state finalists from last year, but return hurdler Niles Lashway.

Gone also are Nick Hurwit and Andy Koelz, a powerful 1-2 punch on the baseball diamond from ’02. The boys footballers will likely miss players like Colin Nannery, Bubba Olsen and Grant Sabatier (all graduation).

This week, the News-Press is publishing the complete schedules of each of the nine teams (page 21, track & field this page). Every following week, watch the sports page for the News-Press Spring Sports Menu—a weekly rundown of all the games.

Notable dates to mark on the calendar are Saturday, May 1—the second annual GMHS Lacrosse Day. All four lacrosse teams play that day, beginning with the JV girls at 10 a.m. The entire community is invited. Also, the softball team plays at 1. Friday, May 7 is the 8th Annual News-Press Day at the Ballgame. Again, the entire community is invited as the News-Press will provide food and drinks and host the popular hot dog eating contest. Try to break the record of 15!