JANUARY:
• The winter high-school sports campaigns settle into the meat of regular-season schedules for the many different teams.
• Madison High School graduate and longtime Vienna resident Billy Emerson is chosen to the Sports Hall of Fame at St. Paul VI Catholic High School. Emerson has been the longtime head baseball coach and athletic director at the school.
FEBRUARY:
• The Madison High School girls basketball team wins a 6D North Region tournament championship, then follows that a couple of weeks later by winning the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state title for the fourth straight time, and sixth overall, finishing the season with a 24-5 record.
• The Langley High School boys swim and dive team wins the Class 6 state championship, after first winning district and region crowns.
• Oakton High School wrestler Isaac Hegg (150 pounds) and Marshall High’s Owen Lebkisher (157) win state championships. Hegg finishes with a 46-6 season record and Lebkisher 36-5.
• Flint Hill School diver Michayla Eisenberg wins the girls Division I private-school state championship.
• Potomac School runner Charlie Ortmans wins indoor Division I private-school state titles in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races on the same day at the state track and field meet. In the spring, Ortmans anchors Potomac School’s winning 4x800 relay in the outdoor state meet, giving him five state titles (four individual, one team) for the school year.
• The Oakton High School girls gymnastics team wins the region crown.
• The Marshall High School wrestling team finishes first in the Liberty District tournament.
• The McLean Highlanders and Oakton Cougars win Liberty and Concorde district girls high-school basketball tournament championships, then Oakton goes on to finish second in the 6D North Region tourney.
• The Marshall High School boys basketball team wins the Liberty District tournament.
• The Potomac School boys swim and dive team repeats as champions of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference.
• The Oakton High School girls swim and dive team wins a Concorde District crown.
• The Flint Hill School girls basketball team wins the Independent School Leagues’ regular-season and tournament championships.
MARCH:
• The Oakton High School boys track and field team wins the indoor region championship.
• High-school teams begin practicing for the outdoor spring seasons, with some seasons actually starting late in the month, despite cold and wet weather.
APRIL:
• Great Falls, McLean and Vienna Little Leagues all hold annual opening-day ceremonies, including parades, on the same Saturday morning.
• High-school spring sports seasons for all teams are well under way.
MAY:
• The Potomac School girls outdoor track and field team wins a Division I state championship.
• High-school pitcher Jack Houston from Vienna pitches a perfect game for his NOVA Lions private-school baseball team in a playoff game.
• The Potomac School baseball team wins conference regular-season and tournament championships to earn a Division I state tourney berth.
• The Potomac School girls softball team wins conference regular-season and tournament crowns, then finishes second in the Division I state tournament.
• The Madison High girls and boys lacrosse teams, the Oakton girls soccer team, the Madison and Marshall baseball teams and the Madison and McLean softball teams all win district-tournament crowns. Following those titles, the Madison lacrosse teams, the Madison softball team and the Oakton girls soccer squad all win region championships.
JUNE:
• On the same Saturday (June 10) in different parts of Virginia, multiple high school teams and one individual from the GazetteLeader’s coverage areas of Fairfax County win Virginia High School League Class 6 state championships. The team champions were the Madison Warhawks in baseball and boys lacrosse, the McLean Highlanders in girls softball, the Oakton Cougars in girls lacrosse and the Langley Saxons in girls and boys tennis. Also in girls tennis, Madison senior Simone Bergeron wins the Class 6 singles title for the second straight year, finishing the season with a 19-0 record and having a two-year mark of 37-0. Prior to the state tourney, Bergeron also won district and region tournaments.
