Leading and Competing

from George Walton Academy - Bulldog Magazine 2022

From the Classroom to the Concert Hall

Mark Whitley

Athletic Director, Associate Head of School for Athletics

This past year was a great one for GWA Athletics. As part of our five-year plan, we challenged every sport to go the extra mile to lead our sports teams to the playoffs. Not only did every sport make it to the playoffs, several also went deep and two played for State Championships.

In the fall, both softball and volleyball had outstanding seasons. Volleyball made it to the third round, which was a first in school history, while the Lady Dawgs on the softball diamond advanced to the finals and took Wesleyan to three games before finishing runner-up in Single A Private.

In the winter, both basketball teams advanced to the playoffs with the boys team making it to the sweet sixteen against a tough Heritage team from Newnan. I might add, had we not had significant injuries during the game, we would have completed that victory and advanced to the final four. Swimming had their best year in many years, both individually, and as a team. GWA had the most swimmers in a long while in both MS and HS, and had several groups on the awards stand including Charlie Stout, (our UGA signee) winning another individual state crown. In wrestling, Perry Jake Stone finished fifth in the state.

In the spring, five of the six teams advanced to the playoffs with our girls tennis team squaring off against our rival Wesleyan and falling to the Lady Wolves in the final match of the year. That loss was the only loss of the year for our Lady Dogs as they set a school record for wins in a year. Congrats to all!

Here’s the rest of the story: With all of the success we experienced, it helped George Walton Academy in the

Director’s Cup standings for the year. The Director’s Cup takes all the sports that a school competes in, and awards points for the place each sport finishes. At the end of the year, the points are totaled and schools see how they match up in their classification in both their region and in the state. This past year in the Region, we were second

overall behind Athens Academy. Our girls’ sports actually finished first in the overall standings in the region. The school as a whole, which includes the boys’ teams, finished in the Top 10 of all schools in Single A Private in the State. Most of the schools ahead of us in the standings were schools that are twice our size in enrollment. I think it is

one of our greatest accomplishments in quite some time.

Now, where do we go from here? We enter a new era, but not an unfamiliar one, as we head into a new association - GIAA. (Georgia Independent Athletic Association) So, how do we approach this new chapter? I have challenged

our coaches, teams, and parents to renew our commitment to excellence in athletics at GWA. Making it to the playoffs, while a worthy goal, is not where we want to rest on our laurels. No, we want Region Championships and State Championships in all sports. We want to continue to add so many new banners in the Nicholson Center

that we have to add a whole new line item in our budget. We want our number of participants in all sports to grow for the benefit of our athletic program, which in turn should grow our entire school. This year, we have added several new coaches who will also be teaching. I am proud to say we have 62 coaches that coach our

MS and HS athletes. When I arrived at GWA, not many of the coaches were actually in the building. Of that 62, we now have 38 teaching in the building, (61%) which is huge! We believe Great Teachers make Great Coaches. The future looks bright for GWA Athletics!