Athletics

Frederick Gunn was a champion of the arts, athletics and the natural world. He established the school’s first athletic teams and encouraged his students to participate in sports based on his conviction that they “strengthened not merely muscle and nerve, but character as well.” 

Today, The Frederick Gunn School’s athletic and co-curricular programs continue to be guided by Mr. Gunn’s philosophy. With 35 teams competing in 15 sports, you also have the chance to take your skills to a new level or try something completely new.

  • Every student is required to participate in a co-curricular activity every term.

  • All new students are required to play at least two interscholastic sports.

  • All returning students must participate in at least one interscholastic sport, whether it’s football, softball or Highlander ice hockey, which is co-ed and open to students even if they’ve never laced up a pair of skates before.  

Part of what makes The Frederick Gunn School's athletic program stand out is the approach of Director of Athletics Mike Marich, who believes:

  • It’s about seeing beyond wins and losses and x’s and o’s.

  • It’s about helping students to develop character and teaching life lessons through the games they love.

  • It’s about the experience.

“My goal is for students to learn to be resilient, to be the kind of person who doesn’t get discouraged easily, bounces back and is willing to take the big shot – both on and off the field. “I was very lucky to fulfill a childhood dream by becoming a student-athlete in college and I like to use stories to teach the students some of the lessons I learned along the way,” Marich said. 

 

Athletics at FGS had a direct impact on who I am today. The two years I spent [at school] taught me crucial skills like discipline, leadership, and respect, which allowed me to physically and emotionally mature.  Because of what FGS taught me between academics and sports, I learned how to be an effective leader, but also how to be the best teammate I can be. Being surrounded by very competitive but motivated coaches and teammates also pushed me to reach academic and athletic goals that didn’t seem attainable to me before I came to FGS.

The skills that I learned didn’t just help me during my time at FGS, but they have fostered an attitude that was necessary when I transitioned into my first year of playing college [athletics]. Thanks to [my coaches] and my teammates throughout my time at FGS, I was more than prepared to step into college.

Morgan Wells '17

Athletics News

Play4theCure2022

The Gunn community showed up in many ways to support the annual Play4theCure field hockey game, played under the lights on Barnes Field on Saturday, October 29. Organized by both the JV and Varsity Field Hockey teams, the game and fundraising events surrounding it, including a bake sale, dress down day, and bracelet sale, succeeded in building community while supporting a good cause. The team raised $2,560 — more than double its initial goal — for the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
 

Canterbury Day game day graphic

The Frederick Gunn School will host Canterbury School on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12, which is Canterbury Day. This annual event brings together athletic teams from the two schools in the spirit of competition, sportsmanship and camaraderie. The one-day event rotates between the two campuses annually. 
 

2022 Head of the Charles Regatta

On October 21-23, Gunn Rowing returned to Cambridge for the 2022 Head of the Charles Regatta. The event marked The Frederick Gunn School’s 50th year of racing in the world's largest, three-day rowing competition. The boys boat — Hugo Vilbois ’23 (stroke seat), Taji Duncan ’23 (third seat), Jack Nettleton ’24 (second seat), Sam Williams ’24 (first seat), and Aria Trotta ’23 (coxswain) — was one of 90 competing in the Men’s Youth Four, which included a team from the Ukraine. 
 

Boys Varsity Lacrosse 2022 Colonial Cup Champions

The Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team beat both Canterbury and Pomfret in tournament play on May 21, becoming the 2022 Colonial Cup Champions.

“It was a total team effort, they needed each other to accomplish this,” said Athletic Director and Head Boys Lacrosse Coach Mike Marich P’23 ’24. “I was really proud of the way the guys handled themselves. They represented themselves, their families, and our school with class.”
 

2022 Co=Curricular Trophy winners

The school’s annual Co-Curricular Ceremony, held May 23, 2022, highlighted the athletic accomplishments of individual students in the fall, winter and spring. The event also celebrated Frederick Gunn's belief that character was developed and honed in co-curricular activities. “Athletics look very different today than it did back in his time but the lessons learned are largely the same,” said Mike Marich P’23 ’24, Athletic Director and Head Boys Lacrosse Coach.
 

FoundersDayRegatta2019

After a two-year hiatus during the global pandemic, the Founder’s Day Regatta will return to Lake Waramaug on Sunday, May 8, 2022. Some 500 student-athletes representing more than a dozen teams from independent and public high schools throughout the region are scheduled to participate. Heats begin at 9 a.m., when the top four boats from each school will line up at the starting line. Grand and petit finals will be held in the early afternoon. 
 

Girls lacrosse vs. Canterbury April 2022

Four members of the Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team have been selected to represent Connecticut at the 2022 USA Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament, which will be held May 28 and 29 at Cedar Lane Regional Park in Maryland. Congratulations to Maya Sellinger ’23, Ashleen Hay ’23, Caroline Marich ’24, and Viv Boucher ’23.
 

Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Team photo 022622

The Boys Varsity Hockey Team beat #6 seed The Governor’s Academy 3-1 in the NEPSAC semifinal at home today. With the win, the team will host Pomfret School (#4 seed) in the New England Championship final at Linen Rink this Sunday, March 6, at 2:30 p.m. The game will be a rematch from the 2020 New England Championship game, which the Highlanders won against Pomfret.
 

David N. Hoadley '51

Trustee Emeritus David Hoadley ’51, one of the school’s longest serving trustees, one of the first inductees to the Athletic Hall of Fame, and a generous and long-standing supporter of the school, passed away January 14 at his home in Brookside, New Jersey. He was 88 years old.