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Jackson-Reed is up to four varsity eight boats this season, making it one of the biggest teams in school history, thanks to word of mouth and its recent success.
The Tigers believe they have a mental edge on other teams, an advantage that begins with the sheer quantity of their quality.
“In the most practical sense, having four boats means that, when we’re on the water every day, the fourth boat pushes the third, the third pushes the second, and the second pushes the first,” Coach Chris Rickard said.
“It’s not competition — it’s motivation,” senior Taylor Jackson said. “A lot about this sport is a mental game. Even though it all brings so much physical pain, the aftermath of seeing us all put our best effort in, it’s a great feeling.”
This weekend’s Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association championship regatta on the Occoquan River is the Tigers’ crowning local meet. Their fastest boat will not be heavily favored, as it was last year. But their next few boats will be a handful to deal with.
“We’ve been treating our practices like races,” senior Corinne White said. “So hopefully when we get there, it should just feel like another practice.”
After Langley secured a 5-4 win in its first matchup against McLean in March, freshman Zosia Henryson-Gibbs couldn’t help but admire her opponent’s prowess on the court.
She was on the hunt for a doubles partner for U.S. Tennis Association tournaments, and after seeing McLean junior Vanessa Popescu’s aggression at the net during their No. 1 doubles match, she knew they would make a good team.
“When we played against her, it was the first time I was able to actually see her strategize in person and perform, and see how we might work together,” Henryson-Gibbs said. “ … And my mom was like, ‘Well, why don’t you go over and ask for her number?’ And I said, ‘That’s such a good idea!’ ”
The two texted about the possibility of practicing and competing together, but it wasn’t until last week’s Langley-McLean rematch that they got a chance to meet again in person. It was the Saxons’ biggest test of the season as they looked to keep their undefeated streak alive, and despite early stumbles in the singles matches, Henryson-Gibbs and Langley doubles partner Noelle Talarek helped secure another 5-4 team win over Popescu and the Highlanders.
After starting out on opposite sides of the net, Henryson-Gibbs quickly crossed over to Popescu to plan weekend practices in preparation for their doubles tournament debut.
“It’s definitely very important when you’re picking a partner to see how your games mix,” Henryson-Gibbs said. “In national tennis, especially in the later stages and draws, [players] are all very, very intense, and some can be a little bit mean. So it was really refreshing to be able to play such a great match with such a nice person.”
As Potomac School huddled during the second half of its game Thursday against Georgetown Visitation, acting head coach Eleanor Gollob told her players a special guest was watching.
The Panthers saw their coach, Claire Berg, sitting among the assembled fans. Berg has been on maternity leave for more than three weeks after giving birth to her daughter.
As they prepared to exit the huddle, Gollob told her players to replace their usual cheer of “Potomac!” with the name of their newest fan: Abigail.
Potomac won, 11-10, in overtime — an exciting victory that sent players and fans streaming onto the field to celebrate. It has been a strong season for the Panthers (12-3), who beat Visitation for the first time since 2017.
Though Gollob is in her first year coaching Potomac School, she had previously coached many of the team’s players as they were growing up.
“It’s pretty special because the last time I coached, let’s say the senior captain on the team, Kate Motley . . . she was tiny,” Gollob said. “She was a little middle-schooler or elementary-schooler.”
The Panthers host Stone Ridge on Tuesday. Both teams have just one loss in the Independent School League’s AA division, giving the matchup potential postseason implications — ones the program hasn’t reckoned with in a while.
“For us, it’s an opportunity to have our best regular season finish in the ISL in a long, long time,” Berg said. “I think you’d have to go back to the ’90s potentially to see an ISL banner for the AA division for the lacrosse program.”
Berg hasn’t made a decision about rejoining the team this season, but she said she — and Abigail — will be there to cheer on Potomac at all remaining home games.
Two weeks ago, Wilde Lake lost its top hitter to a nagging shoulder injury for multiple games. Its second-leading hitter sliced her hand on the cleat of an opponent the same week — injuries that have loomed for the Wildecats just weeks before they’re set to begin the postseason.
“[Having] two of our top returners out of the lineup has really shown us what happens when you have to face some adversity,” Coach Tee Dronenburg said.
Dronenburg tinkered with her lineups as her players recovered. Multiple starters played out of position, she said, and she hopes that gives the team valuable experience.
“It’s only going to make us stronger as a team as we make another playoff push,” Dronenburg said.
The Wildecats ceded 14 runs in a loss to Marriotts Ridge and fell to Mount Hebron, 4-2. But Wilde Lake’s top two hitters — Heather McQueeney and Lauren Jascewsky — played in the Wildecats’ 25-2 throttling of Oakland Mills and combined for seven hits.
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