As the beginning of the school year has come and gone, and we move into the busy winter at Stone Ridge, it’s important to take time to look back at the many accomplishments of our fall sports teams. The fall sports here at SR consist of field hockey, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and cross country. With many successes held in each respective sport, here are summaries and outcomes in our first season of varsity sports.
Volleyball
Volleyball had an incredible season with amazing highlights to look back on as their season finished! The team won game after game, and aside from two losses to Visitation and Georgetown Day School (both schools being outside of the ISL), they remained undefeated and made it to the playoffs. Beating Maret in the semifinals 3-0, they went on to the championships against the Holton-Arms Panthers. With yet another striking win, the Gators brought the ISL championship banner home and swept the competition 3-0. Congratulations volleyball and a special congrats to Olivia Otte and Carina Sather on finishing your senior seasons!
Soccer
The Stone Ridge Ridge soccer team brought excitement and hard work to the field this year. After a string victories over schools like SSSAS, Maret, Bullis, and St Andrews, the Gators, led by seniors Allison Haag, Elizabeth Madden, and Maeve Dyer, brought their team to ISL Quarterfinals. Quarterfinals, played against Potomac brought the soccer season to an end with a close game of 2-3. Despite this loss, the team’s dedication and hard work was evident through their seven wins and the opportunity to play in quarterfinals, making Stone Ridge varsity soccer a force to be reckoned with. We are excited to see what’s to come with the team next year, congratulations girls!
Tennis
Gaining lots of attention this season, the tennis team brought many victories to our fall sports record throughout September and October. With an almost undefeated season (after one loss to the Saints), the tennis team brought strength to every match and nearly swept teams like Bullis, Madeira, and O’Connell. The team’s hard work throughout the season was shown as they moved onto ISL finals. Starting with semifinals, the Gators crushed Georgetown Day with a score of 6-1, advancing them to the championship against Bullis. The finals had everyone on the edge of their seats as the stressful game ended with nearly a 2 hour match, played by Holly Hinton, getting a win for the Gators. Another amazing season ending with a banner for Stone Ridge! Special congrats to the team and especially our senior players Maddie DeLuca, Abigail Leonard, Emily Ochs, Clare Morrell, Avery Truitt, and Meghan Starmann.
Cross Country
Many successes came from our cross country Gators. Although cross country is a little different due to the individual nature of the sport, Stone Ridge runners brought strong competition to every meet and many team members ran in major competitions like the ISL, MoCo, and Maryland championship meets. To the seniors who have finished their cross country journeys (Melat Mekonen, Brooke Truitt, Mia Perna, Stella Lesnick, and Eva Healy), congrats!
Field Hockey
Field hockey held their own through the ISL season and came out of their August-November season with 11 total wins. Their success in the regular season and win in the semifinals against Holton-Arms brought them to the ISL championship held on our very own Gator Field. The long game went into overtime after both teams went scoreless in regulation, and the sudden death goal, made by Anna Slidell, ended the game 1-0 with the Gators bringing home yet another ISL championship title and banner. This big win could not have been possible without the great senior leadership from Avery Bergvall, Charlotte Bomba, Ireland Donahue, Juliette Duvall, Caroline Fielding, Annie Luongo, Logan May, Ainsley O’Connor, Abby Neary, Catherine Ronis, and Natalie Shaffer. Congrats field hockey!
To conclude, each sport had an outstanding season, and three banners in one season will definitely be remembered. Although the attention is going to all of the championships and big games, it is important to remember all of the hours these girls spent on their respective sports each week, and that in itself is a huge accomplishment. As we look forward to the upcoming winter months, be sure to look out for our winter sports, which are sure to hold more successes and excitement.
