The MCPS winter season completed with many schools and coaches experiencing success and making memories that will last a lifetime. MCPS recently acknowledged the following teams from various sports. “Congratulations to the following MCPS high schools and coaches who won state athletic championships and state sportsmanship awards for the 2023-2024 winter season”:
4A Girls State Basketball Champions, Clarksburg High School, Coach Sissy Natoli
State Bocce Champions – Milan Division, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Coach Steve McMahon
4A/3A Boys State Swimming and Diving Champions, Winston Churchill High School, Coach Dennis Witol
3A/2A/1A State Swimming and Diving Champions, Poolesville High School, Coach Jonathan Leong
4A/3A State Dual Wrestling Champions, Walt Whitman High School, Coach Derek Manon
4A Boys Basketball – Jack Willard Sportsmanship Award Winner, Walt Whitman High School, Coach Chris Lun
4A/3A State Swimming and Diving – Doug Sutherland Sportsmanship Award Winner, Quince Orchard High School, Coach Staci Armezzani (photo not provided by MCPS)
4A/3A Girls State Swimming and Diving Champions, Richard Montgomery High School, Coach Akshay Gandhi
Congratulations to Richard Montgomery Swimming and Diving Coach Akshay Gandhi for being selected as the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Alan Murray Award. The Allen Murray award is presented annually to a Montgomery County Public Schools swimming and diving coach. This award was created to honor the memory of a man whose family values, friendly demeanor and excellent teaching skills serve as the standard to which all coaches should aspire.
The late Murray’s impact on Montgomery County kids was remarkable. His role as a teacher, coach, camp director, and the founder and director of the Montgomery County Stroke and Turn Clinic, played a vital role in elevating the standards of the district’s swimming and diving program.