The Gunston School is pleased to announce that four members of the class of 2025 have signed their letters of intent to play sports at the college level. At a recent signing ceremony this past Thursday, January 23, students and their families along with coaches and faculty gathered in the Alice R. Ryan Family Library to celebrate their accomplishments. Nationwide, a little over 7% of high school athletes (about 1 in 13) go on to play a varsity sport in college and less than 2% of high school athletes (1 in 57) go on to play at NCAA Division I schools. 

Riley Walker of Chestertown, Md. will be playing lacrosse for Lebanon Valley College. While playing lacrosse for Gunston, the team earned back-to-back second place finishes in the ESIAC (Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference) Championships in 2023 and 2024. Coach Millicent Sheets spoke of Walker’s versatility on the field, “We asked a great deal of him—playing midfield, jumping in the goal on EMO [extra man offense], sometimes playing on the field for EMO and running plays on attack. He never balked at anything we asked him to do and he gives 100% all the time at any position.” Walker played in numerous leagues outside of Gunston and even helped to organize a winter indoor league for the school. “By the end of the season, we were depending on him more and more in the goal. Goalie is the hardest position to play and it is very difficult to just jump in the goal at any given moment. In that position, Riley was focused, commanded the defense, and came up with key saves for his team. He finished the season with almost 50 saves which is extremely impressive for only playing about a quarter every game.” Walker plans to study business at Lebanon Valley. 

Aidan Watson of Centreville, Md. will be playing lacrosse for Savannah College of Art and Design. Picking up lacrosse in his sophomore year at Gunston, Watson proved to be a quick study. Coach Millicent Sheets recalls, “In ninth grade, Aidan was in my honors geometry class. He was smart, witty, and an impressive artist. Art I knew was in his future, but I did not expect him to turn out to be an aggressive, fierce, and strong long pole defender. Fall of his tenth grade year, Aidan told me he was going to come out for the team. I was thrilled and a little surprised. Aidan turned out to be a quick study of the game, he worked hard to learn how to sub through the box effectively, he learned both man and zone defense, and even played long pole middie on face offs. Playing alongside very seasoned defenders, Aidan had to learn to take direction from his peers and put up with some fierce competition. Over the two years I coached Aidan, he was committed to getting stronger and faster and it really showed by the end of his second season.” Watson will be studying art at SCAD.

Grace Shepherd of Church Hill, Md. will be playing field hockey for the University of Central Michigan. Shepherd played for Gunston all four years, earning ESIAC All-Conference honors in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. She served as one of the captains this year and the team again made it to the ESIAC Championship, earning second place for the third year in a row. In addition to playing for Gunston, Shepherd also plays for Team Chesapeake Shore year-round and has earned multiple awards from the Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland (FHCAMD) including All Mid-Shore Team Field Hockey in 2022, 2023 and 2024, All Eastern Shore Team Field Hockey in 2022 and an All State Honorable Mention in 2023. Recently, Shepherd represented Gunston at the 2024-2025 Susan Pusey FHCAMD Senior All-Star Game this past fall. “From her first preseason practice, we could see that Grace was a special player,” said Coach Yvonne Gazelle. “She has had a remarkable career, scoring 29 goals and notching 16 assists. She's been a dependable player, playing nearly every minute of every game throughout her four years. She's been a leader, serving as Captain for the 2024 season. She served as an outstanding role model and example to her teammates, arriving early to every practice, being the first to pick up balls and cones after a drill, and the first to offer assistance to players in need.” Shepherd is currently undecided in her course of study at Central Michigan but is leaning toward studying biology.

Alex Bent of Queenstown, Md. will be rowing for La Salle University. Bent rowed for Gunston’s varsity team in 2022 and 2023 before joining the Annapolis Junior Rowing organization. He also competed in the Crash B indoor world championships in 2023, placing third in the Mens U17 2K row. He also was the first Gunston student to compete in the Mid Atlantic Youth Rowing Championships in 2023, placing seventh. Bent’s former rowing coach, Carter Law commented, “Alex has given his all, balancing academics, training, and some serious personal growth, all while demonstrating leadership and perseverance.” Bent has dreams of competing in the Olympics one day. At La Salle, he’ll be studying business administration.