As the first quarter comes to a close, Maggie Walker’s Fall Season is well under way. Maggie Walker cross country, field hockey, volleyball, and golf teams are working diligently at reaching their goals this season. Since August 1st, the fall athletic teams have been practicing, attending their meets and games, and building community at Maggie Walker. 

Maggie Walker’s cross country program is especially popular amongst students, boasting a strong community of runners. Ivey Shields (‘25) comments on how her teammates are striving to accomplish their own personal goals this year, “reaching for new PRs and getting faster.” She personally hopes to break 21 minutes this year in the 5K race. At their first meet of the season, the boys’ team came in second and the girls’ team in sixth. The cross country team is both hopeful and excited for a prosperous season ahead of them.

Another one of Maggie Walker’s largest sports programs is field hockey. Avery Kelly (‘25), a team captain, has played field hockey for the school since her freshman year, and welcomes the responsibility of being the only junior captain this year. She describes one of her most exciting games to be the one against Freeman in September. She describes playing Freeman as “exciting” because “[Maggie Walker’s players] are always evenly matched with them and never know what the outcome will be.” Although Maggie Walker did lose the game by one point, Maggie Walker engaged in a penalty stroke, a 1v1 against the goalie from the other team, where Kelly scored a point. Callie Kennedy (‘25) both plays field hockey and runs cross country. Having played field hockey for years prior to coming to the school and finding her passion running long distance, Kennedy comments on how playing two sports in one season “can be challenging, especially when trying to manage [her] time, but is so fun.” 

As the only indoor fall sport, volleyball is also in full swing. Preston Huyurd (‘24), a senior on the boys’ varsity team, comments that although “we started off a little rough because we lost our first few games, we started picking it back up after our turning-point win against Freeman.” Since that game, Huyurd has noticed that the team is rallying better than before and has “stayed strong” since. He adds that his team’s major goal for this season is to first make state finals again and then beat Patrick Henry, the reigning champions of the past four years. The girls’ team is also working diligently to reach their goals and come together as a team. Anushri Ramesh (‘26), a sophomore on the JV team, emphasizes that “for our team, it’s not really based on winning or losing.” Their main priority is to “build trust” in one another and help every player reach their potential. Both Huyurd and Ramesh describe one of their biggest challenges to be acclimating to the new influx of players this year. Last year's graduating senior class was a huge part of both the boys’ and girls’ volleyball programs, with the boys’ team having lost eight players, but Ramesh comments that “as the season goes on, everyone is getting closer as friends and as a team.”

Lastly, Maggie Walker’s golf team has also been reaching their goals all season. Mathew Tran (‘25) notices that “every player is making progress,” embodying the team spirit. Although golf can appear to be a single-player sport, community and team-building is a huge part of the program. Tran adds that he is most looking forward to playing at Regionals this year, an event the team has been preparing for.

In addition, some non-fall sports have begun training for their seasons already. Ella Nock (‘25) and Adrian Chenoweth (‘25), both sprinters on the track and field team, utilize the fall to prepare for their winter season. Chenoweth’s favorite part is being able to “train while it’s still warm out,” and Nock’s favorite aspect is the weight-room workouts. She comments that she enjoys helping design the workouts and appreciates the smaller groups the sprinters run with during the preseason.

Regardless of the fall sport they play, Maggie Walker’s student-athletes continue to represent Maggie Walker well, embodying values of sportsmanship, dedication, compassion, and diligence. Each teams’ game calendars can be found on the MLWGS website, and attending sporting events is a great way to show support towards fellow classmates.