At a ceremony yesterday, 21 scholar-athletes from the Class of 2023 announced their plans to play sports at the college level. Students, their families, coaches, and faculty gathered in the Spangler Center for Athletics and Community to celebrate their accomplishments. Nationwide, a little over 6% of high school athletes (about one in 13) play a varsity sport in college, and less than 2% of high school athletes (one in 57) play at NCAA Division I schools. These 21 college-bound athletes comprise 18% of Potomac’s graduating class. Enjoy photos from the ceremony.

Michelle Ahn – Archery (Columbia University)
Marcus Burrell – Baseball (Williams College)
Kelly Crittenberger – Baseball (Northwestern University)
Carter Lawrence – Basketball (Franklin & Marshall College)
Tyler Lawrence – Basketball (Dickinson College)
Caelan McCormack – Basketball (St. Lawrence University)
Ella Adamec – Field Hockey (Kenyon College)
Kylie McKinley – Field Hockey (Dartmouth College)
Elizabeth Rossotti – Field Hockey (Georgetown University)
Devin Dunn – Football (Missouri University of Science & Technology)
Marcel Gaskins – Football (United States Naval Academy)
David Hyde – Football (Williams College)
Drew Turner – Football (United States Naval Academy)
Patrick Wolff – Football (Pomona College)
Drew Ambrose – Lacrosse (Wesleyan University)
Sam Cristinzio – Lacrosse (Swarthmore College)
Cate Dannahey – Lacrosse (Denison University)
Kate Motley – Lacrosse (Middlebury College)
Max Revis – Lacrosse (Oberlin College)
Maya Davis – Track (Washington University in St. Louis)
Charles Ortmans – Track (Harvard University)

The girls track and field team won the VISAA State Championship in a closely contested match with returning champs St. Catherine's. The two teams were tied going into the final event: the 4x400 relay. Tenley Overdeck '24, Mackenzie Fulgham '24, Kate Tuttle '24, and Reagan Exley '24 won the relay to seal the team title. Some marquee events included the mile which Exley, Tuttle, and Genevieve Harris '23 swept. Exley and Tuttle also went 1-2 in the 800m. Maya Davis '23 won the 100m dash, the long jump (setting a school record in the process), and placed third in the 200m. Fulgham won the 400m (56.87) and took second in the 200m. Arielle Kouyoumdjian ‘25 earned Honorable Mention All-State by placing third in the 3200m. On the boys side, Charlie Ortmans '23, Max Zeldes '24, Alex Mathews '24, Eli Levine '26, and Cole Griswold '24 also earned All-State honors. Several athletes will continue onto Nationals held June 17 in Philadelphia. 

After claiming the MAC regular season title, Potomac's varsity baseball team showcased their exceptional skill and determination in the MAC Tournament semi-finals, defeating Flint Hill with a dominant 11-1 victory. Their next challenge was the championship game against Sidwell Friends School, with whom they had split victories in the regular season.

With the coveted MAC tournament championship on the line, Potomac's players unleashed their full potential. The team had a solid offensive outing, securing seven hits and five walks, resulting in 3 crucial runs. On the defensive end, they displayed their prowess by giving up only a single hit throughout the game.

Congratulations to Panther Baseball on hoisting the MAC regular season and tournament championship trophies!

Ella Dowley ‘24 placed second in the Virginia State Rowing Championship in the women's varsity single category. Her finish qualifies her to compete at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America national championships, May 26-27, in Oak Ridge, TN. Congratulations!

Panthers baseball clinched the MAC Regular Season Title and the top seed in the MAC Tournament after beating Sidwell Friends 6-3 in a thrilling match. The teams’ impressive season secured them a place in the semifinals, where they will face off against Flint Hill today, May 11, at 5:30 p.m. The Panthers are poised to continue their winning streak and path to the tournament championship with the confidence gained from their recent victory.

See photos from the game.

Katie Lee '26 and Annabel Widdifield '26 competed in the ISL/WCAC Golf Championship this past week. Both girls fired 81's, resulting in a tie for second place among a field of 45 players. Congratulations to both players who represented Potomac so proudly. Here are some photos from the tournament! 

Check out the golf section in this Washington Post article to read how Katie and Annabel will be sharing their accomplishment with the Potomac community.

The varsity baseball team played their way to a 6-1 record last week, including winning their Spring Break tournament in Florida, going 4-0. Marcus Burrell '23 was named tournament MVP for his performance at the plate and in center field throughout the week.

On Monday, the team won two games, including an epic 5-run rally in extra innings of the nightcap, finished off by a walk-off single from Wyatt Pence '25. Tuesday brought another exciting finish as the Panthers scored six runs in the final innings to come back once again, with this rally capped by a walk-off single from Burrell. Their 3-0 record in pool play earned them a spot in the tournament championship against Key West High School, the team with the most state championships in Florida history. Unfazed, Colby Bohnen '25 delivered a strong start in his first varsity appearance on the mound, and a great team effort on both sides of the ball earned them a 5-3 victory. 

After a tough loss to a very good Georgetown Prep team, the Panthers rebounded on Saturday with another doubleheader sweep, this time over Steward and St. Christopher's, two VISAA foes. Potomac beat Steward 18-3 thanks to home runs from Paul Witkop '24 and Owen Peterson '24, along with contributions up and down the roster. It was followed up with a 12-2 victory over perennial powerhouse St. Christopher's. Kelly Crittenberger '23 provided a timely grand slam and the team came together once again to get a very important win.

During the second week of Spring Break the varsity softball team competed at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, going 5-0. They defeated Blair Academy (NJ) 3-0 behind the two-hit pitching of Alexis Vaughan ’25 and Abby Rebhan ’24. They combined for 12 strikeouts. Potomac’s seven-hit attack was led by Fae Butler ’24 and Paige Schedler ’25 with two hits each. They also had big wins against Grove City Christian (OH), The Pingry School (NJ), St. Luke School (CT), and Green Farm Academy (CT).

Against Grove City Christian (17-0), Vaughan and Rebhan combined for a no-hitter; Potomac’s offense was led by Rebhan with three hits, including a triple and four runs batted in (RBIs), Vaughan with three hits including a double, Erika Castellano ’23 with two doubles and two runs batted in. Sloan Escobar ’25 had a triple and drove in three runs and Shelby Willcox ’23 also drove in three runs. Against The Pingry School (9-2), Potomac’s 12-hit attack was led by Rebhan with three hits, including two doubles and five RBIs, Anna Castellano ’26, Vaughan, and E. Castellano had two hits each. Willcox also contributed with a triple.

Against St. Luke School (4-1)  the team had a 14 strikeout performance from Rebhan. Potomac had 10 hits on offense, with the Castellano sisters, Rebhan, and Vaughan each having two hits and Sam Taylormoore ’23 and Hayley Richardson ’24 each having a base hit. Rebhan started the scoring for Potomac with a solo homer in the first inning. In the final game, Potomac defeated the Green Farm Academy (15-4). Potomac had fifteen hits, led by E. Castellano with three hits and two hits by Butler and Taylormoore. Multiple players had single hits including Addie Wolff ’26 and Rebhan hit a three-run homer. The team played excellent defense led by infielders Butler, Zora Burrell ’25, Schedler, and the Castellano sisters.

It was an historic day for Potomac’s indoor track team at States. The girls earned a third-place finish, while the boys placed fourth. Ally Griswold '26 set a state and school record in the 300m with a time of 40.36 seconds. Maya Davis ‘23 set school records in the 55m (7.23 seconds) and long jump. The girls 4x4 (Tenley Overdeck '24, Kate Motley '23, Kate Tuttle '24, and Griswold) and 4x2 (Davis,Tea Picconatto '24, Motley, and Griswold) relay teams brought home first place. Other individual accomplishments include Tuttle's second-place finish in the 1k, Overdeck's fifth-place finish in the 500m, Arielle Kouyoumdjian’s '25 sixth-place finish in the 3200m, Motley's seventh-place finish in the 300m, and Genevieve Harris's '23 eighth-place in the mile. Charlie Ortmans '23 earned Boys Runner of the Meet for his wins in the 1600m and 3200m and a third-place finish in the 1k. Cole Griswold '24 placed fourth in the 500m and seventh in the 300m. Alex Mathews '24 placed sixth in the 1k, as did Sasha Minsky '24 in the 3200m. Several Panther athletes will proceed onto Nationals in mid-March.

The wrestling team traveled to Richmond this past weekend to compete at the VISAA State Tournament. Everyone on the team wrestled their best of the season, with three wrestlers earning All-State honors. Adar Weinman '25 finished in eighth place, capturing All-State honors for his second season in a row. Jeremy DeLaVille '24 finished in seventh place, capturing All-State honors. Jason Seeber '25 finished in fourth place, banking All-State honors and earning a berth to the National Prep Wrestling Championship this Friday and Saturday at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD. See pictures from this weekend here, courtesy of Becky Cullinan. Onward for Potomac!

The boys and girls varsity squash teams both exceeded their predicted rankings at this past weekend’s U.S. High School Squash National Championships in Philadelphia.

The girls team, seeded last in their division, upset higher-ranked St. George’s School from Middletown, RI, by a score of 4-3 and finished 30th in the nation (out of 85 teams). Individual highlights include Layah Nasr ’23’s dominating 3-0 win in the #1 slot against St. George’s School, Sophia Calkins ’24’s dual wins against St. George’s and Middlesex School, Meera Vadlamani ’24’s three wins at the demanding #3 position, Haley Coon ’24’s wins over Middlesex and St. George’s, Yabbie Maelaf ’23’s and Anya Aggarwal ’25's amazing five-game battles against their opponents from Middlesex, and Sami Krilla ’25’s come-from-behind win against Seven Hills School. Substitute player Cici Miliaras ’23 gave her teammates confidence to risk full-out play throughout the weekend.

The boys team, expected to finish in 15th place, upset local 10th seed Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 4-3 and finished in 12th place in boys division III (44th nationally, out of 102 teams). Playing four matches in just three days, every player contributed to the team's success, and each faced their share of victory and adversity. Notable results include Ben Levy ’25’s dominating 3-0 win playing in the #1 slot against SCH Academy, co-captain Jeffrey Nuechterlein ’23’s two come-from-behind wins over higher-rated opponents, co-captain Jack Wigmore ’23’s diving saves and relentless determination, Jackson Mackney ’23’s nearly hour-long battle to prevail against SCH Academy, and Alexander Zhou ’23’s 3-1 record at the pivotal #5 position throughout the weekend. Will Scribner ’25 and Graham LaForce ’25 both went 2-2 overall and notched impressive wins against skilled opponents. Aidan Corwin ’24, our substitute player, provided excellent coaching and support to teammates throughout the weekend.

All Potomac squash players, including those unable to travel this past weekend, share in the teams’ successes this season. Special thanks to our squash team parents for their provisions, support, and encouragement, and to U.S. Squash for organizing the world’s largest squash tournament with nearly 1,700 players competing across 13 divisions at five venues.

The Potomac track team set 25 personal bests this past weekend at Chantilly High School's XBC Invitational. In the 800m Alex Mathews '24 ran 2:03, Noah Altschuler '25 ran 2:12 and Ella Lu '25 ran 2:38. For the 2 miler, Sasha Minsky ‘24 ran 9:44 while Arielle Kouyoumdjian '25 and Kate Tuttle '24 both broke 12 minutes, with Emmy Holland ('24) breaking 13 minutes. Nasir Yankey '26 improved by over 10 feet in the discus. Michele Horton '26 improved by over 6 feet in the triple jump and placed third overall. We compete next at the Dogwood Invitational at UVA on May 6.

Last week, the varsity softball team defeated the Flint Hill Huskies 6-3 to win the ISL regular season title. The team was undefeated in league play going 7-0. Overall this season, the team is 18-1, winning 17 straight games and outscoring their ISL opponents 92-3.

Abby Rebhan '24 pitched a complete game against the Huskies, striking out 13 while walking two. The hitting attack was led by Rebhan and Erika Castellano '23, with two hits apiece. Rebhan had two doubles, and Castellano had a single and a triple. Another key hit was a two-run double by Sloane Escobar '25.

Later in the week, the Panthers closed out the regular season with a 17-1 victory over Saint John Paul the Great on Senior Day.

The girls squash team hosted the Mid-Atlantic Squash Organization Tournament (MASO) on Saturday, February 4. Potomac played National Cathedral School in the semifinals and won 6-3. In the exhibition match, junior Sophia Calkins played a tough game but put up a good fight with the score being 1-3. Potomac moved onto the final round against St. Catherine's, who won their semifinal game against Mercersburg. The finals came down to the ninth position player, sophomore Sami Krilla. Potomac had won the first four games and St. Catherine's won the four games after that. Krilla played an excellent game – winning 3-1, breaking the deadlock with St. Catherine's, and bringing home the first-place plaque for the Panthers. View photos from the tournament.

The varsity wrestling team competed well against a tough Lewis High School squad in front of a jam-packed crowd at Landry Center last Friday. The energy in the room was electric as the team celebrated its senior night, honoring Aidan Cullinan, Alex DeCamp, and Bram Halpert. The team's toughness and character were on full display on the mat, and our school spirit was at full tilt in the stands. The Potomac wrestling program offers its sincere thanks to the members of SAC, the Athletics Department, the Upper School school administration, and all the fans who came out to make it such a special event. Enjoy the photos. Your grappling Panthers will next see action at the MAC individual tournament at Sidwell this Saturday, February 4, 10:00 am