Varsity Winter Sports Preview

Coming off a strong fall athletic performance that saw every team make the playoffs, the Greyhounds look to continue this tradition of excellence going into the winter athletics season. Every team appears to be poised for strong showings this year.

Following an impressive season that saw them win the Maryland state tournament and MIAA duals, the Varsity Wrestling team looks to recreate this level of success in the 2025-2026 season. The loss of key contributors such as Emmitt Sherlock ‘25, John Jurkovic ‘25, and Liam McGettigan to UVA, Davidson, and Lake Highland Prep, respectively, will have a major impact on the Greyhounds' scoring opportunities this season. Arthur Konshack ‘27 says, “I don’t think that this year is a complete rebuilding year; rather, I think it’s more of a challenging year for us.” He went on, saying, “We’ll have a lot of heavy hitters at the top like Noah Lawrence ‘26, Isaiah Trusty ‘26, and Sawyer Peck ‘27.” The team is also very solid in the lower weight classes, with Christian Wirtz ‘28 and JD Vassar ‘27 proving to be vital contributors in last season’s campaign. The wrestling Hounds will look to fight for another MIAA title this coming winter.

Looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2022, the Varsity Basketball team is poised to have a promising season, with players from all classes chipping in. Led by captains Matthew Gordon ‘26 and Bashir Abou ‘26, basketball looks to be a serious contender. Gordon stresses accountability and supportiveness as two of the main things that he thinks the team will benefit most from this year. He says, “When kids are comfortable with taking risks and being a team together, as one, they will definitely play better. I really want our guys to go out there and be comfortable with taking risks.” Recent additions to the team such as Jack O’Sullivan ‘28 and Nikhil Krishna ‘27 bring much-needed depth to the roster, as the loss of eight seniors from last season means there is a large hole that must be filled. Current talent such as Marcus Turpin ‘27 and Jute Taylor ‘26 provide much of the offensive firepower of the team and will look to repeat their success this year. Fans can be sure that the basketball team will give them something to cheer for, and students should look out for information regarding Silent Night, held in January.

Coming off a rebuilding year to strengthen and deepen their roster, Varsity Ice Hockey is ready to make an impact on the MIAA. Led by Walton Staley ‘26 and Andy Krasulski ‘26, the team has already had a strong performance against last year’s championship finalist, Loyola Blakefield, handily defeating them, 5-2. Sam Brody ‘27, remarks, “Last year, we just didn’t have the depth we needed to play good hockey. We had most of our starters playing the entire game last year, which is just exhausting.” This level of depth is highlighted by standout underclassmen Colin Vitelkites ‘29 and Caleb Park ‘29. In addition to this, Brady Walters ‘26 will look to have a hand in the team’s playoff ambitions.  With numerous Mount Pleasant games, the Gilman student body should have plenty of opportunities to pack the rink this season at the well-timed 3:30 games.

An extremely deep indoor track team looks to repeat and improve on last year’s success by contending for an MIAA title. With the loss of Jemmel Green ‘25 and Warren Hernandez, this task will be no small feat. The team, captained by John Cameron ‘26, Connor Ward ‘26, Andrew Goodale ‘26, Kendall Lunn ‘26, and Liam Digges ‘27 has the depth that it needs to be competitive in the MIAA. Freshmen standouts Leo Bowen ‘29 and Jonathon Yu ‘29 bring talent to the distance group while Ward and Cameron bring speed to the sprinting group. Captain Liam Digges says, “The environment is just amazing here. You go and you train in the freezing cold everyday and then on meet day you’re at the PG complex and everyone’s cheering you on.” He also emphasizes that success in track often comes from numbers, which this year's team has no shortage of thanks to its roster of 90 athletes.

Coming off an extremely successful season, during which they disrupted the traditional McDonough, Loyola, Gilman status quo by placing 2nd at the MIAA championship, the swimming hounds look to capture their first championship in over a decade. In addition to this, Gilman bested McDonogh for the first team in recent memory. With representation from every class, Gilman is poised to have a good next couple of years in the pool. However, the loss of record-breaking seniors Jackson Heether ‘25 and Max Kunisaki ‘25 will leave a major vacancy. Underclassmen Kyan Siri ‘28, Charlie Dieveny ‘28, and Bryce Heo ‘29 are the major contributors that the team needs to fill these gaps, and all bring proven scoring potential. The upperclass is spearheaded by Myles Koff ‘26, Bogdan Mystak ‘26, Barrett Emerson ‘26, and Cooper Walters ‘26, who will all look to improve on their performances from last year’s MIAA championships. The Hounds will also have extremely strong relays this year despite the loss of Heether and Kunisaki, as any one of the team has the capacity to be a suitable replacement. This season shows great promise for the swimming Hounds, and one can hope that records will be broken.

Looking to continue their MIAA winning streak, Varsity Squash enters the season with high hopes. Led by Matthew Chi ‘26 and Jack Paternotte ‘27, the team will participate in various tournaments throughout the season such as the competitive high school nationals. After winning 7-0 last year and graduating a large senior class, the team has already found players to continue on the legacy of Gilman Squash. Paternotte said, “Even though half of our team is new guys, we still really want to emphasize creating a great team dynamic and a strong environment where everyone feels like they can really play their best.” With a strong freshman quartet composed of Grayson Bess ‘29, Alex Ekanayake ‘29, Daniel Sun ‘29, and Ali Zaheer ‘29, squash is in a good position to continue their tradition of excellence for years to come.

Gilman sports fans have numerous ways to stay occupied this season, whether it be through attending the electric Silent Night or by supporting the hockey team as they try to reach the playoffs. In addition to this, student attendance is absolutely crucial for sports such as basketball and hockey where momentum can play a huge role in determining the outcome of the game.