Ice hockey and wrestling claimed a share of the IAC championship, and hockey went on to win the Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League (MAPHL) championship following the longest game in league history. Between basketball and wrestling, individuals reached impressive milestones.
Read on for a wrap-up of the winter sports season.
Basketball
The basketball team started the season with a new Head Coach in Chris Bohlen P ’29 and a three-year captain in Frankie Mannino ’25. The team improved its IAC record from last year to 3-7. One of those wins was over a nationally ranked Bullis team that did not lose another IAC game all season. Coach Bohlen focused on enhancing the team culture, instituting the “Blue Collar Bear” award, recognizing the hardest worker on the team at given points in the season. Winners of this season’s awards included Khalil Jackson ’25, Jack Jesmer ’25, Mannino, Mac Marshall ’25, Eli McQueen ’28, and Devin Stewart ’25. The team also sought to build positive relationships with younger Bears, hosting skills clinics for basketball players in Grades 3 through 8. Individually, Mannino was named to the All-IAC team for the second consecutive season and surpassed the 1,000-point mark halfway through the season.
Ice Hockey
Head Coach Alex Parker’s third season with the Bears included a bit more drama than the previous seasons. Because of a rule change in the MAPHL requiring any games that end in a tie to go into a shootout, the Bears, led by two-time captains Eli Smink ’25 and Reid Pehrkon ’25 and first-time captain Watts Colclough ’25, gained invaluable experience that would help them later in the season. The IAC regular season ended in a shootout victory against Bullis, which clinched the regular season championship. However, the team’s run for its third consecutive IAC tournament championship ended with a loss in the semifinal to Georgetown Prep. The team remained undiscouraged going into the MAPHL tournament, beating DeMatha and Gonzaga on its way to a rematch of the 2020 and 2022 championships against St. John’s. The Bears came back from a 1-0 deficit in the last minute of regulation and remained tied through two overtime periods and five rounds of shootouts. Smink got a goal in the seventh shootout round, and Jack Licalsi ’25 ended the game with a save in the same round. Off the ice, the Bears, along with Holton-Arms’ ice hockey team, took part in the Washington Capitals’ “Hockey Talks” night in partnership with MedStar Health, Morgan’s Message, and Shoulder Check Initiative. The team also worked with Lower School hockey players, engaging in mentorship and leading skills clinics throughout the season.
Indoor Track & Field
Captains Russell DeCain ’25 and Milan Matteis ’25, as well as Head Coach Ryan Callahan, built on last season’s successes and built momentum they hope to sustain with the outdoor team. Alex Henderson ’26 had an outstanding season, setting two indoor school records – in pole vault and long jump. The team as a whole improved on last year’s finish at Montgomery County Indoor Private School Championships to capture second place. On an individual front, two Bears became county champions: Macallister Graham ’26 in the 300m and Manny Monsalve ’26 in shotput.
Riflery
The riflery team, under the leadership of Head Coach Troy Prinkey and captains Sebastian Barahona ’26 and Rafayel Sargsyan ’26, focused on learning the basics of the sport and improving technique. They took time learning the three shooting positions – prone, standing, and kneeling, as well as marksmanship skills like breath control, patience, and concentration. Once the athletes mastered the positions, they were able to shift their focus to increasing their accuracy and precision, ultimately increasing their consistency throughout the season while competing against each other in biweekly intrasquad scrimmages. The Paw and Claw intrasquad teams, each combining experienced and novice marksmen, competed from randomly assigned positions. Overall, the Claw team won with a total score of 3596 to the Paw team’s 3444, but individual competitions could be tight – for example, the final competition of the season ended in only a four-point victory for the Claw team. Friendly competition, team building, and fun were the outcomes of the season.
Squash
Captain Jack Fucci ’25 and Head Coach WT Miller ’86 led the squash team to another successful squash season. Although a loss in an extremely close match against Whitman cost the Bears the opportunity to repeat as league champions, the team finished the season with an overall record of 5-4 and a league record of 4-1. The team also had the distinction of beating Episcopal for the first time in program history. The Bears look forward to returning a number of skilled players next season to build upon their success.
Swimming & Diving
At the beginning of the season, Head Coach Chris Ros and captains Rayan Anvari ’25, Zachary Fayed ’25, William Rook ’25, and Matthew Sonne ’25 set goals to win more dual meets and to finish on the podium at the IAC championship, and the team accomplished these goals! The team started the season with a win over The Heights School, finished IACs in third place, and set a new school record in the 400 free (Fayed, Nicholas Roscetti ’28, Rook, and Sonne). The team also placed sixth at the Washington Metropolitan Private School Swim & Dive League (WMPSSDL) championship, 17th at Metro Championships (which includes both private and public-school teams in the D.C. Metro Area), and 16th at Eastern Prep Championships. Individually, the team boasted some impressive diving results. Sam Bynum ’26 improved from last season to take second at IACs, ninth at WMPSSDLs, and 20th at Metros, while Teddy Angelides ’27 placed 13th at WMPSSDLs and 15th at Metros.
Wrestling
Captains DP Pope ’25, Theo Shockey ’25, and two-time captain Tiller Smith ’25, alongside Head Coach Andy Katz – who celebrated his 300th career win at Landon in December in the midst of a 15-3 season –lead the wrestling team to another undefeated IAC regular season. In the team’s dual against Bullis, the lightweight wrestlers swept their opposition, and Nick Davidoff ’26 iced the competition with a third-period pin while down 10 points. The other highlight of that meet occurred when Smith achieved his 100th career win. Later in the season, the highlight of the Prep dual meet was Teddy Abramson ’28’s third-period pin when he went into the period down a few points. Unfortunately, the Bears were unable to win the IAC tournament again, but their stellar performance during the regular season dual meets gave them a share of the overall IAC title. States brought three place winners: Elijah Adams ’28 who placed seventh; Joe Papalia ’26 who placed eighth; and Smith who placed second. Adams and Smith went on to Nationals and performed well, with Smith winning the Jimmy Detrixhe National Prep Award for his combined excellence in wrestling and academics.