Athletics

Game On! CHAMPIONING ATHLETICS By Pamela Hammonds DURING A WORLDWIDE HEALTH CRISIS

Atypical sports team is composed of coaches, trainers, and athletes. However this year, due to the pandemic, our facilities team (who kept equipment, workout areas, and buses sanitized) and COVID coordinator became key players in keeping our girls competitive.

Since more than 60 percent of our Upper School student population participates in Bruiser athletics, being able to play and compete is vital to the GPS experience for most girls. So, GPS Director of Athletics Jay Watts worked with onsite COVID Coordinator Kimberly Reid ’13 to establish protocols for everything from practices and team photos to travel and spectator capacity while adhering to (and oftentimes exceeding) guidelines from the state and local health officials as well as TSSAA.

Varsity Soccer Coach Patrick Winecoff began no-contact soccer practices at the start of the fall season, hosting training sessions that kept the 35 girls on the team working in pods of about nine who didn’t interact with the others.

“I’m a little stunned we were able to keep them apart,” Winecoff says, “but the girls—particularly the nine seniors—were determined to do whatever necessary to play their entire season.”

Like soccer, all GPS teams implemented safety precautions, including making each girl responsible for her own water bottle and its refills, wearing masks except when in play, reducing bus capacity, and eliminating team dinners and activities that traditionally add to the camaraderie of being teammates. “While athletics are challenging, girls are naturally social, so the water breaks, the time outs, the after-meet times were also hard because they want to hang out with each other,” Watts says.

Out of an abundance of caution, locker rooms were not used and girls wore their practice gear under their school uniforms. (The exception was swim and dive, with coaches monitoring locker room traffic.) The number of spectators for indoor and outdoor events was limited, with visitors required to mask and complete a screening.

“Every time I attended an event, I thought, this could be our last game,” Watts says. “I anticipated a lot of disruption, but it never happened. Kimberly Reid has been awesome. Having someone monitor COVID and then advise us on what to do kept us ahead of what even TSSAA required of us.”

“Our coaches also did an amazing job with encouraging athletes to diligently monitor symptoms and practice safety precautions outside of school,” Reid adds, “which allowed them to stay healthy and involved in their respective sports.”

Head Varsity Coach Katie Outlaw and Assistant Hugh Enicks led the Bruiser cross country team to a state win this fall. Perhaps missing their spring 2020 track season due to COVID provided the girls the motivation to do whatever it took to complete their fall cross country season. In particular, senior Jane Eiselstein was determined to finish her last season as a Bruiser strong. “Jane has been running since sixth grade and worked so hard to have a personal best, a state championship, and an entire season, and she accomplished all those goals,” Outlaw says. Even at the state meet, the girls lined up with their masks on, only to take them off once the starting gun sounded. “Even though they didn’t have to, they insisted on doing so.”

Our commitment has always been to the well-being of our students. To this effect, Reid stayed abreast of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and TSSAA recommendations to have athletes medically evaluated before returning to play after COVID-19 infection.

“I cannot thank our students and families enough for their partnership,” Reid says. “By keeping us informed on symptoms, positive test results, and known exposures to COVID-19, our athletes and families helped us prevent further exposure within our teams.”

“All in all, our year went better than we had hoped,” Watts says. Cross country won state, three teams had runner-up finishes at state—soccer, softball, and track and field—and three varsity teams—bowling, soccer, and lacrosse—had undefeated regular seasons. Six seniors also went on to sign to continue their sport in college.

Watts expresses his great appreciation for our parents. “They wanted their girls to be able to compete and play and were super supportive and understanding of our policies.”

FALL SPORTS

Our CROSS COUNTRY team won the Division II-AA State Championship in early November. The Bruisers did not just win the race; they crushed the competition with a team score of 147— 76 points better than runner-up Father Ryan. GPS finished with five runners in the top 14, including Jane Eiselstein ’21 who finished fourth overall with a time of 19:28.29. The other four from that top five were all eighth-graders, leaving the program in good shape for the future. For Jane, this was her second state title in her high school career, having won previously with the varsity team in 2017.

Ava and Olivia Scotchie ’22 both qualified for the state GOLF tournament as individuals. The junior duo gained valuable experience that will hopefully help improve their standing for their senior season.

SOCCER had a phenomenal fall season that ended just short of a state title, but the Bruisers set new standards for the program with an undefeated regular season and a national ranking from MaxPreps. com that was consistently in the top three in the U.S. throughout the fall. Seven players on varsity were named to the All-East Region team, and another player was named Honorable Mention All-East Region. In the spring, Jessie Salisbury ’21 was named to the Tennessee roster for the TN-GA All-Star Girls Soccer game. VOLLEYBALL finished with a winning record that included a victory over Baylor and a first-place finish in the Bronze Bracket at the Sunsphere Tournament in Knoxville. Chapel Cunningham ’21 was named to the Division II-AA All-East Region Team.

Our ROWING team was the one GPS program that was most impacted by COVID-19 as all in-person regattas on our schedule were canceled. The team was able to compete virtually in a couple of events, including the Head of the Hooch, where our U19 8+ and U17 8+ came in first and second, respectively, and our U19 4+ entries came in second and third behind a very speedy group from the Asheville Youth Association.

Our GPS | McCallie Blue Crew CHEERLEADERS were able to cheer on McCallie as they took the state football title.

Our MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAMS all represented the school well. Both of our soccer teams defeated Baylor twice during their seasons. Cross Country competed in the state meet in Knoxville in October. It is worth noting that their results were even more remarkable when you consider their top four eighth-graders were all competing with the varsity this fall. Our softball team showed significant improvements throughout the season, and our Blue Crew was a part of McCallie’s fall season on the gridiron.

WINTER SPORTS

BRUISER BOOSTER UPDATE

This year, the GPS Bruiser Boosters boasts 40 members who have contributed a total of $8,700 to GPS Athletics. In the winter, some funds from the Booster Club were combined with other resources to give every single athlete on campus a GPS beanie that was a huge hit in the cold weather. Over the winter, our coaches also continued to benefit from the professional development opportunities at the National All-Sport Coaches Summit. The Boosters provided access to all of our coaches for a series of online training sessions that will benefit our program for years to come. Their support has made our amazing athletic program even stronger. Our BASKETBALL team dropped a tough game against Pope John Paul II on the road in the Division II State Quarterfinals, but the

Bruisers had a tremendous season that included a win over Baylor on the road, two wins over CCS, and two wins over Ooltewah. Our basketball roster is loaded with returning players as we had only two seniors on the roster this season. We look forward to the continued growth of our program next year.

Our varsity BOWLERS represented GPS well at the TSSAA State Championship after winning the Division II East Region bowling championship for the second straight year. GPS defeated St. Agnes in the quarterfinals 21.5-5.5 but lost in the state semifinal match to the eventual state champion. Allie Foropoulos ’21 and Katelyn Beach ’21 finished seventh and eighth respectively in the individual competition.

GPS SWIMMING AND DIVING had an unusual season after COVID-19 wreaked havoc with swimming programs around the state, and the Bruisers were only able to have three dual meets during the regular winter season. Our swimmers and divers were able to make the most of their opportunities, however, with big victories over Dalton and the eventual Georgia State Champion, Westminster from Atlanta.

Our CLIMBING team was unable to have its normal competition schedule this winter, but completed a series of training sessions, both indoors on campus and outdoors on some of Chattanooga’s great natural climbing sites. At the end of the season, Dr. Sean Caulfield announced his retirement from the classroom but will continue to coach the team.

Our MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETES competed in basketball, swimming, diving, and volleyball, and each team provided additional highlights for us to enjoy. Our swimming and diving team won the NW Georgia Championships in January. The Bruisers ended the meet with 316 team points, 37 points ahead of runner-up Jefferson Middle School. Starting next year, our Middle School volleyball team will move its season to the fall, allowing both basketball and volleyball to have a full season of practice and competition, having previously split the winter season and causing both teams to have fewer training opportunities.

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

1 CHAPEL CUNNINGHAM

Softball & Volleyball | Southeastern University Lakeland, Florida

2 ASHLEY GRANT

Soccer | Wofford College Spartanburg, South Carolina

3 MACKENZIE “KENZIE” GRISAR

Lacrosse | Berry College Rome, Georgia

4 GABBY JOHNSON

Football Manager | University of Mississippi Oxford, Mississippi

5 NICOLA VAN DER MERWE

Track & Field | Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee

6 MARY “ADDIE” YOUMANS

Rowing | Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana

4 2 1

5 3

6

SPRING SPORTS

GPS TRACK AND FIELD put together a great final effort at the Division II-AA State Championship, finishing second overall in the team standings. Nicola van der Merwe ’21 won the triple jump with a distance of 36’5”. Our 4x800 Meter Relay team of Jane Eiselstein ’21, Gilly Shumate ’25, Tessie Braman ’25, and Frances Bohner ’25 also finished first in their event with a time of 9:54.97.

On the SOFTBALL field, the Bruisers reached the Division II-AA championship game in Murfreesboro, falling to a talented Baylor team in their final meeting. GPS had wins over Silverdale Baptist, Gibbs, and CCS during the regular season. Four players were named to the Division II-AA All-East Region team: Ansley Blevins ’22, McKamey Bratcher ’23, Chapel Cunningham ’21, and Maddie Grace Hubbard ’22, and Chapel was selected to play in the Tennessee-Georgia Softball All-Star Game. Our TENNIS team participated in the most competitive region in the state and finished third behind eventual state champion, Knox Catholic. The Bruisers were represented in the state doubles tournament by Caroline Clark ’23 and Mary Kate Johnson ’22, and the duo reached the semifinals of their bracket. With only one senior on the roster this year, GPS is already looking ahead to great potential for the spring of 2022.

GPS LACROSSE had its best season in the 17-year school history of the sport. The Bruisers finished the regular season 16-0, marking the first undefeated regular season since lacrosse was introduced at GPS. Five players—Anna Beth Coffman ’21, Kenzie Grisar ’21, Evie Jackson ’22, CJ Polk ’22, and Reagan Ziegler ’23—were named to the AllRegion team, and Ziegler was also named an All-State selection by the TGLA. GPS fell to Ensworth in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Our ROWING program enjoyed their first season in the new GPS | McCallie Rowing Center and represented the school well at the Mid-South Regatta at Baylor, finishing second. Unfortunately, much of the spring rowing competition schedule was impacted by COVID-19 cancellations, but the team was able to make the most of their opportunities and look forward to a more complete season next year.

Our MIDDLE SCHOOL BRUISERS competed in track, lacrosse, tennis, and golf. Nora Armstrong ’27 finished second in the 800-meter run and third in the 1600-meter run at the end of season city track championships at CCS. Farah House ’26 was third in the shot put. Tennis had a strong effort this spring highlighted by two wins over Dalton Middle. Our lacrosse team had seven wins that included three over Baylor and one each over Seymour and Brentwood. Olivia Center ’26 qualified for the individual district championships in golf and was named to the All-Hamilton County team.

"I am so proud of all of our studentathletes for their tremendous work in their sports and in the classroom,” said Jay Watts, GPS Director of Athletics. “In the face of so many obstacles and distractions, not the least of which was COVID-19, our girls truly maximized their opportunities this year and achieved at an incredibly high level. I am thankful to be at a place like GPS where girls can have the very best experience in athletics and academics.”

TSSAA

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

All nine of our TSSAA sports were recognized through the TSSAA Academic Achievement Award program for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. In the fall, our soccer, cross country, golf, and volleyball teams all earned Distinguished Scholastic Achievement recognition for having a team GPA of 3.25 or higher. Now that the second semester is complete, we know that our basketball and softball teams have earned Outstanding Scholastic Achievement recognition after completing the spring semester with a team GPA of at least 3.0. Bowling, tennis, and track earned Distinguished Scholastic Achievement after completing the spring with a team GPA of at least 3.25.

In addition to these team awards, the TSSAA also recognizes individual achievement for athletes who complete the semester with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. In the fall, 38 GPS studentathletes reached this mark. In the spring, we had 62. The breakdown by sport is as follows:

CROSS COUNTRY - 8

GOLF - 6

SOCCER - 20 VOLLEYBALL - 4

BASKETBALL - 4

BOWLING - 10 SOFTBALL - 5

TENNIS - 18

TRACK AND FIELD - 25

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GPS CAMPUS HOME TO NEW ROWING CENTER

AFTER NEARLY A DECADE in the works, the GPS | McCallie Rowing Center officially opened this spring to house both the GPS rowing and McCallie crew programs.

Situated on the GPS campus at the lower athletic complex, the one-of-a-kind 15,000-square-foot facility features a training room that accommodates 48 ergs and other conditioning equipment as well as three large bays for boat storage, a spacious multipurpose room for team meetings and events, separate locker rooms with showers, and office space for coaches. Outside the center is dedicated parking and, at the water’s edge, a larger dock to accommodate both teams.

The shared rowing center was made possible through a strategic partnership between GPS and McCallie. In 2012, McCallie’s then-headmaster (and GPS interim head of school this year), Kirk Walker, worked with McCallie board members to find a location along the Tennessee River to build a rowing center for the boys’ school’s team.

Conversations ensued about capitalizing on the strong coordinate program between McCallie and GPS and housing both programs under one roof. A committee composed of McCallie and GPS board members was formed and, by 2016, committee participants agreed that housing both programs at GPS was the best option.

Seed money provided from the estate of a McCallie alumnus began the project; Franklin Architects was hired and then, in turn, contracted with Peterson Architects of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to design the building. In September 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony led by GPS Head of School Dr. Autumn A. Graves officially launched the construction of the new building. After delays in securing building materials related to the pandemic, the structure was finally opened this spring. Also this spring, GPS hired former Division I standout Laura Foster as Head Rowing Coach. Foster recently served as the assistant varsity head coach for the Princeton National Rowing Association in New Jersey. She rowed for four years at the University of Michigan, was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten, a Collegiate Rowing Coaches’ Association Academic All-American, and a scholar-athlete. After Michigan, Foster attended the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, where she earned her Master of Philosophy Degree in archaeology and was the head men’s rowing coach at the Queens’ College Boat Club and vicepresident of the Cambridge Women’s Program.

GPS and McCallie jointly announced that Maegan Gossett ’08 will become Rowing Center Coordinator, ensuring that the facility is used at its maximum capacity to serve both rowing programs. She also will serve as an assistant coach to Foster.

LET’S ROW!