Women’s soccer
Last season: 7-8-4, seventh in A-10 Conference
Where to see them: The Mount Vernon Campus
Player to watch: Senior Ashley Starks, who is GW’s returning leader in goals and points from last season.
The lowdown: The women will have to replace their leading scorer from last season in Brittany Eger, who led the team last season with five goals and 10 points.
Men’s soccer
Last season: 10-8-0, ninth in the A-10 Conference
Where to see them: The Mount Vernon Campus
Players to watch: Junior Yoni Berhanu, 2008 A-10 Rookie of the Year and Sophomore Seth Rudolph, 2009 A-10 All-Rookie team member.
The lowdown: The Colonials will look to Berhanu and Rudolph, who tied for second on the team in goals scored last season, to replace much of the team’s offense after leading goal scorer and NCAA All-Region honoree Andy Stadler departed after his senior season.
Volleyball
Last season: 21-12, fifth in the A-10 Conference
Where to see them: The Smith Center
Players to watch: Sophomores Candace Silva-Martin and Lauren Whyte, both members of the 2009 A-10 All-Rookie team.
The lowdown: Silva-Martin led the team last season in digs as a freshman with 592. Whyte ranked third on the team in points and killed in her first season as a Colonial.
Women’s basketball
Last season: 6-22, eleventh in the A-10 Conference
Where to see them: The Smith Center
Player to watch: Junior Tiana Myers, the team’s leader in minutes played and points per game from last season.
The lowdown: GW struggled with injuries and inexperience last season, losing its lone upperclassman to injury before the season began and losing freshman point guard Danni Jackson and sophomore shooting guard Tara Booker early in non-conference play. Despite its struggles, GW managed to qualify for the conference tournament for the 28 straight year, falling in overtime in the first round to Duquesne.
Men’s basketball
Last season: 16-15, finished tenth in the A-10 Conference
Where to see them: The Smith Center
Player to watch: Sophomore Lasan Kromah, who started all 31 games as a freshman last year and was second on the team in points per game with 11.8 en route to earning a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie squad.
The lowdown: After missing the conference tournament for two consecutive years by finishing outside the top 12 in the 14-team conference, the Colonials returned to the A-10 Tournament last season but lost in the first round on the road at Dayton. GW returns all but one starter from last year’s squad that featured six freshmen, and it will look to improve on last season’s 6-10 record in conference play.
Women’s swimming
Last season: Tenth place at the A-10 Championships
Where to see them: The Smith Center
Player to watch: Senior Paola Leor, winner of three straight team MVP awards.
The low down: The Colonials struggled at the conference championship meet, finishing in last place, 38.5 points short of ninth place Saint Louis.
Men’s water polo
Last season: 9-22, fifth in CWPA Southern Division
Where to see them: The Smith Center
Player to watch: Sophomore Guy Helman, the team’s returning scoring leader from last season.
The lowdown: The Colonials are in the midst of a youth movement, with six new freshmen joining the team this fall. The new players will have to step up immediately to replace last year’s top three scorers, all of whom were seniors.
Men’s squash
Last season: 9-9, season-high ranked No. 20 in the nation
Where to see them: The Lerner Health and Wellness Center
Player to watch: Junior Michael Nair, the team’s MVP from last season.
The lowdown: The Colonials beat Stanford 8-1 in the first round of the CSA Team Nationals last season before falling to Middlebury and Tufts. GW also defeated Georgetown 9-0 in the regular season.
Women’s squash
Last season: 9-5, season-high ranking of No. 15 in the nation
Where to see them: The Lerner Health and Wellness Center
Player to watch: Junior Lauren Mathieu, one of just two Colonials who competed at Individual Nationals in early March.
The lowdown: GW closed the season on a five-match winning streak that helped propel the team to a program-best ranking of 15 in the country. The Colonials also managed an unblemished 3-0 record at the Howe Cup in late February.
Gymnastics
Last season: Seventh place at EAGL Championships
Where to see them: The Smith Center
Player to watch: Sophomore Kayla Carto, who competed in all four events at the EAGL championships and recorded a career-high all-around score of 38.700, the third-best all-around score on the team.
The lowdown: GW advanced three team members to the regional round of the NCAA Championship last season. Of those three, Carto and her teammate Senior Leslie Delima will be returning to the Colonials.
Women’s tennis
Last season:Second in A-10 Tournament
Where to see them: The Mount Vernon Campus
Player to watch:Junior Jacqueline Corba, an A-10 First-Team selection last season.
The lowdown:Fifth-seeded GW made a surprising run to the finals of the A-10 Championship, beating St. Bonaventure, Duquesne and Charlotte before losing to defending-champion Richmond in the championship match. As a result of her team’s unlikely run, head coach Dawn Buth was named A-10 women’s tennis coach of the year, the first GW coach to win the award in more than a decade.
Men’s tennis
Last season: Second in A-10 Tournament
Where to see them: The Mount Vernon Campus
Players to watch: Seniors Erik Hannah and Chris Kushma and junior Ugur Atalay, all of whom were A-10 First-Team selections.
The lowdown: The Colonials have been the class of the regular season in the A-10 for the past three years, earning the top seed in the conference tournament in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Despite its high seedings, GW has not managed to come away from the tournament as a champion in any of the past three seasons.
Baseball
Last season: 26-28, seventh in A-10
Where to see them: Barcroft Park in Arlington, Va.
Player to watch: Senior outfielder Brendon Kelliher, who hit .381 last season, the second-best batting average on the team.
The lowdown: After opening conference play by going 6-0, the Colonials struggled against A-10 foes down the stretch and were left out of the six-team conference tournament by virtue of a tie-breaker. Kelliher will have to remain strong offensively as he steps in to fill the void left by former shortstop Tom Zebroski, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals on June 8. Zebroski, who hit .429 this past season, was named A-10 Baseball Player of the Year for 2010.
Softball
Last season: 6-39, 10th in A-10
Where to see them: The Mount Vernon Campus
Player to watch: Junior Lauren Wilson, whose .226 batting average this season was the highest on the team.
The lowdown: GW struggled through one of the worst seasons in program history last spring, going just 2-16 in conference play. The Colonials suffered through two separate eight-game scoreless streaks, and had losing streaks of 13 and 14 games.
Women’s lacrosse
Last season: 5-11, sixth in A-10
Where to see them: The Mount Vernon Campus
Player to watch: Junior Sarah Phillips, 2009 A-10 Rookie of the Year and team leader last season in points and assists.
The lowdown: The Colonials struggled mightily in the middle of the season, losing its first three conference match-ups and seven straight overall. The team did win three straight late in the season, but GW was left out of the conference tournament after earning a spot in the four-team bracket a year ago.
