Athletics News
After winning the state championship in tennis last spring, members of the team had all summer to anticipate the “reward” that was promised.
Head Coach Sue Bartlett kept her promise and left Saturday, Aug. 28 with six members of the team to enjoy New York City and attend a few matches at the U.S. Open. The first full day was busy with seeing the sights of the city and enjoying a theatre performance.
On Monday they were on their way to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens. “We will see Melanie Oudin, Kim Clistjers, and Andy Roddick on Monday, among many others,” said Bartlett.
Missing two days of school and yet still learning, at least about tennis, are Hannah Morrow, Bronte Goodhue, Emma McCallie, Aliza Williams, Mary Claire Spann, and Lauren Schlabach.
The varsity soccer team opened the 2010 season with a “bruising” 3-0 win over the Ooltewah Owls.
Goalkeeper Simone Busby recorded two saves and her first shutout of the young season.
Scoring for the Bruisers were seniors Heather Daniel (2) and Nicole McKinney. McKinney recorded an assist, as did junior Mary Woodruff Griffin and senior Samira Rahbe.
Head coach Dave Barrueta said it was a "tremendous game because all 24 varsity players got playing time."
All-American diver Julianne Wilson ’10 made it official recently when she announced that she would join the Lady Vols diving team. A two-time All-American, Wilson was the 2010 state champion, setting a GPS record for her 11-dive score at the state championships. She was state diving champion as a freshman, missed competing in her sophomore season due to injury, and narrowly lost her junior year to the high school National Diving champion.
Lady Vols diving coach Dave Parrington described Wilson as “an excellent student who is an extremely talented diver with exceptional athletic ability.” While at GPS, she was a member of the track team and holds the GPS record in the high jump. She was also an All-American in cheerleader and a member of the National Honor Society.
Wilson was one of two seniors to receive the Headmaster’s Award for Elite Accomplishments in Athletics at graduation. Eight athletes from the Class of 2010 will be participating in college athletics this fall.
Junior point guard Chadarryl Clay doesn’t go a day without a basketball in her hands, and that hard work has led to recognition on a national scale.
Her talents were on display this summer at the AAU girls’ national tournament in Orlando, Florida, where she starred for the 15-under Georgia Elite. Witnessing the national semifinal was ESPN.com’s Kelvin Powell, who wrote about Chadarryl as one of the top performers in his “HoopGurlz” online story.
According to Powell, the semifinal was “one of the most enjoyable” at the AAU tournament, “mainly because of the exploits of Clay, a 5-7 point guard” from Girls Preparatory School. “Her vision is what separates her from most point guards in the class,” he writes. “We will go out on a limb and call her the most unique distributor of the basketball class of 2012.”
She is, says Powell, “One of those rare players that make everyone better and always plays under control.” Chadarryl, who was a first-team Best of Preps choice by the local newspaper, averaged 17.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.1 steals last year.
The state championship softball trophy once again rests at GPS after the team defeated Baylor 6-2 in the finals on Friday, May 28. The five seniors are now part of a four-year sweep of the softball state title, and one eighth grader, Kelby Crownover, has her first of what she too hopes will be multiple state rings.
Senior Payton Leech held Baylor scoreless for the first four innings before giving up the two runs. The three-run lead that GPS held until that point wasn’t enough for Coach Susan Crownover or her players. The girls responded in the bottom of the fifth inning with three more runs, including a two-run single by Morgan Lane, the game’s Most Valuable Player, and an RBI by senior Jackie Baird. Senior Tory Lewis was 2-for-4, and Kelby Crownover was 2-for-3. Leech also had a hit in her final championship game.
“All of our championships have been different and special,” said the coach. “We’ve created a tradition of winning at GPS, and the girls don’t know how to do anything different.”
Fling Wrap Up
Spring Fling ended with two state championships (softball and tennis), two individual championships (Sarah Evans in tennis and Simone Busby in track), and one track relay team championship.
Evans, who will play at Wofford next year, soundly defeated Baylor’s Samantha Caswell 6-0-6-0 for the state individual title, her first. Playing varsity since the eighth grade, Evans has been a part of four tennis state championship teams under Coach Sue Bartlett. “It was special to go out like this as a senior,” she said, referring to both the singles win and the team’s title.
The Bruisers finished second at the Division II state track championship on Thursday, May 27, lifted by several GPS record-breaking performances by sophomore Tory Kemp and two gold medals.
Kemp finished second in all four events in which she participated: triple jump, long jump, 100 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. She set three personal bests during the meet and two GPS records in both of the field events. She was .01 second away from tying the school record in the 100.
Kemp’s classmate Simone Busby won the discus state championship and placed second in the shot put.
Destinee Landsden, Chadarryl Clay, McKenzie Stokes, and Jalesa Poindexter are also returning to school as state champions in the 4x100 relay.
Other impressive finishes were by the 4x800 relay team of Rebecca Haskins, Nandia Taylor, Jami Haskins, and Johanna Gartmann, third place; 4x200 relay team; Destinee Lansden, fourth in the 400 dash, and Julianne Wilson, a third in the high jump.
GPS claimed the Division II state team tennis championship over Baylor on Wednesday, May 26, winning three singles matches and two doubles.
The two doubles wins in the morning were by Sarah Evans/Aliza Williams (8-2) and Emma McCallie/Bronte Goodhue (8-6). GPS had to win three singles matches to take the title, and they did, with three-set wins by Evans and Goodhue and a two-set win by eighth grader Aliza Williams.
The softball team plays on Thursday in the state finals after downing Pope John Paul II 11-1. Individual tennis quarterfinal matches and track and field competition begin Thursday as well.
The softball team pounded Father Ryan with a 23-0 score over two games on Friday, May 21 in Division II sectional competition. Payton Leech had an 11-0 no-hitter in the second and will lead her top-seeded team into a first-round game at the Spring Fling state tournament on Tuesday, May 25 against Pope John Paul II.
Senior Tory Lewis, after winning the Headmaster’s Award for Athletic Accomplishment during the morning’s commencement ceremony, had three triples in the two afternoon games. Returning from injury, Morgan Lane had two hits and a pair of RBIs in the first game. Catcher Jackie Baird and Katy Richardson each had multiple RBIs in the series.
On Saturday morning (5/22), the tennis team advanced to the Division II-AA state tournament in Murfreesboro and will also begin team competition on Tuesday with a match against Harpeth Hall. In singles on Saturday, Bronte Goodhue, Emma McCallie, and Lauren Schlabach win in singles, and Goodhue/McCallie and Schlabach/Meredith Morrow won in doubles.
GPS qualifiers in track and field events begin the quest for state medals on Thursday, May 27.
Two days of Div. II East Sectional competition left GPS varsity track teammates making plans to attend Spring Fling, the state tournament in Murfreesboro.
On the first day of field events Tuesday, May 18, Julianne Wilson won the high jump and Simone Busby took both the discus and shot put. Tory Kemp won the long jump and placed second in the triple jump.
Thursday’s track events, especially the middle distance and relays, gave the Bruisers encouragement for a good showing at state. Destinee Landsden won the 200 meter, Nandia Taylor came in second in the 400 meter, and Rebecca Haskins was second in the 800.
Sophomore Tory Kemp ran in both the 100 and 300 hurdles, placing second in each, and GPS runners captured three of the four relays.
The softball team plays Father Ryan in the state quarterfinals Friday, May 21 at 3 and 5 p.m. and, if necessary, Saturday, May 22 at 11 a.m. Spring Fling will be held May 24-29 in Murfreesboro.
The Bruiser tennis team qualified all six top players for the state individual Spring Fling tournament on Sunday, May 16, with championships in singles and doubles. GPS also won the team region title and will play Ensworth on Saturday, May 22 for a Spring Fling spot.
Senior Sarah Evans, who will play tennis for Wofford College next year, defeated teammate Bronte Goodhue 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) for the singles championship, and unseeded Aliza Williams and Emma McCallie upset Baylor’s #1 doubles team, 6-2, 6-4.
Also qualifying were Meredith Morrow and Lauren Schlabach, who finished fourth in doubles. The 17th annual Spring Fling state tournament will be held May 24-29 in Murfreesboro.
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