The Tiger winter season is underway and teams are ready to roar! Check out the previews of our Boys Basketball, Boys and Girls Indoor Track, Wrestling, Boys and Girls Squash, and Girls Basketball teams. Come out and cheer on the Tigers in action; view all schedules. 

The Boys Basketball team, head coached by Shawn Werdt, will have some new faces this season and new roles for returning athletes. The team lost five players -- four to graduation (Hanif Goins, Matt Johnson (Widener University Basketball), Ben King, and Henry Zabierek) and the team's high scorer who transferred. New to the squad is Darius Frazier, a junior transfer from St. Joseph's Prep, who will be tasked with guarding the opposing teams' best players and bringing energy and toughness. Most eyes will be on Jordan Dill '26 (pictured), a 2021-2022 All-FSL Honorable Mention selection and second leading scorer as an 8th grader. Captains Jaden Palmer-Waldon and Amir Staten will look to lead the team in their final year at GFS. Juniors Caleb Hess and Jesse Mullins will have increased roles after having solid off-seasons, and a number of freshmen will look to make an impact.

Last year's team finished 13-13 overall and advanced to the second round of the Friends Schools League playoffs with a first-round win over Moorestown Friends School. 

Anticipated key games this season include Friends' Central School, Friends Select School, Abington Friends School; last season, these match-ups were close losses and will be critical in the Tigers' playoff seeding. 

In addition to regular season games, the team will take part in the Wildwood Boardwalk Showcase on December 28 and 29.  

The Boys & Girls Winter Track team, head coached by Conrad Haber, will compete in 26 events this season, several of which will have the Tigers on the road in New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts. The team will be anchored by a robust senior class including: Margaret Harvey (pictured), Katya Henisz, Emma Nam, Cora Rosin, and Ellay Shay on the Girls team and Oliver Briger, Jacob Burnett, Gabe Cohen, Bryce DaVeiga, Simon Donovan, Graham Greene, Miles Heck, Shuford Kirk, Isaac Okewole, Dylan Sassaman, Jiasheng Shi, and Mike Whaley (pictured) on the Boys team. 

The Tigers graduated key athletes in 2022 including Sam Butler (Pomona College Track & Field), Sam Rekulak, Zurib Abdus-Salaam, Annika Marcelis, and Anna Macdonald (Pomona Cross Country and Track & Field) who is the winningest Track & Field athlete in GFS program history and whose notable performances include 4th place in the mile at the PTFCA State Championships and 10th place as part of the Girls Distance Medley Relay at the PTFCA State Championships.

Last year, the Boys 4x800 team took 9th place at the PTFCA State Championships and 7th Place at the New Balance Nationals. The Boys Distance Medley Relay also secured a 14th place finish at New Balance Nationals.

Key events this season include the Virginia Showcase, Yale Classic, PTFCA State Championships, and New Balance Indoor National Championships. 

The Wrestling team, head coached by Paul Hammond, looks to match -- or improve on -- its strong 2021-22 season which included finishing as a runner-up in the FSL Championship. It was the first time that the Tigers advanced to the FSL final since the dual format. The team also placed four athletes on the FSL All-League teams, and three athletes advanced to the National Prep Wrestling Tournament. 

Graduates and top performers last season, Dante Billups and Will Jiggetts will be missed but the Tigers have both experience and depth to help them rise this season, led by Dean Deseve '23 (pictured), a returning First Team All-FSL honoree with a record of 20-5 last season. Deseve is a sixth-year wrestler and will serve as team captain. 

The Tigers look forward to the Spartan Clash on December 17, as well as a slate of strong competition in the league and non-league in preparation for post-season tournaments. 

Girls Squash has a young team this season with no seniors in the varsity lineup. Head Coach Lauren West noted that this year's players have developed together through middle school squash and have demonstrated a solid, cohesive bond during pre-match training. It was also clear to West that off-season training paid off as the starting lineup will see some unexpected changes over last year, and will likely shift, as the Varsity 7 are extremely close in level. 

Last year's team posted a winning 7-4 season record and a ranking of 20th of 77 teams nationally, anchored by No. 1 player Lindsey Burnham '22 (Middlebury College Women's Squash).  

The Tigers look forward to matches against Agnes Irwin JV and Penn Charter as well as U.S. Squash Nationals. 

The Boys Squash team will be young but mighty and perhaps the youngest squad in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference (MASA), according to Head Coach Stuart George. Playing in the top three positions will be sophomores Issac Torchinsky-Field, Charlie Raven, and Oliver Pride. Also in the starting lineup will be senior Rowan Zielger, who will serve as team captain. Coach George also noted other key athletes who may fill in the starting lineup include juniors Simon Berman and Alex Duggan.  

The program graduated 2021-22 varsity starters Max Daniel, Zach Idinopolus (Wesleyan Men's Squash), and Amar Mohammed, as well as JV athlete Chris Li.

The season will also look different than previous years with a more robust schedule to prepare the athletes for Nationals, as well as the newly instituted format, established by MASA, of seven starters instead of nine. 

"I personally am looking forward to seeing what this team can do this season," noted George. "I am not placing any results expectations on them and making all the matches about the performances. This will remain in the buildup to Nationals." 

The Girls Basketball team, head coached by Mike Lintulahti, will have confidence entering the season as the winningest girls program in GFS Athletics history. The 2021-22 team ended with a 22-6 season (7-1 in the FSL), capped by a spot in the FSL Championship game and quarterfinal finish at the PAISAA State Tournament.

This years team will be led by four seniors, all with program experience and a commitment to continue the standard that the program has established in recent years.

"We have a unique combination of returning experience, with a talented group of young players that will look to step in and make an immediate impact. This is an exciting year for the program as there are great opportunities to step in and fill the leadership and on-court production left by a senior class that clearly left their mark at GFS," Lintulahti said.

Returning starters for the Tigers are Caroline Putnam ’23, Ndaia Blakney ’23, and Katie Day ’25. Caroline Schure ’23 and Sydney Dixon ’23 have displayed excellent leadership as they step into expanded roles on the court, and Alayah Campbell ’25 and Mia Rutledge ’25 are more confident players from a year ago who look to build on their freshman year success. Fiona Behan ’25 is new to the roster, and Sarah Goldberg ’26, Taylor Linton ’28, and Halle Newsome ’28 will provide an injection of youth and talent providing energy and a strong competitive spirit. 

Graduates from last year's squad include Cadence Kelly, Caroline Rickels, All-Leauge honoree Martina Kiewek (Maastricht University), and All-State First Team honoree Clare Meyer (Dartmouth College Women's Basketball). 

Upcoming anticipated events include the FSL/Inter Ac Challenge with games against Lawrenceville Prep and Cristo Rey, as well as the 32nd annual Germantown Community Tournament. Other key matchups include Springside Chestnut Hill and Hun School.  

"The always competitive FSL will have us on our toes as we look to continue competing for a spot in the playoffs," Lintulahti.