Hall of Athletic Honor

Lisa Bernardini DeJohn ’08 (soccer, basketball, and lacrosse)
During her athletics career at George School, Lisa earned twelve varsity letters, was a four-year starter in both soccer and lacrosse, and co-captained the soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams her senior year. She was also a prefect her senior year. Lisa earned All-League First Team Honors in both soccer and lacrosse during her four years at George School, and an honorable mention in basketball her senior year.

Her soccer team won the Friends Schools League (FSL) championship her freshman year, and the team made the play-offs all four years of her GS career. Additionally, she earned FSL League “Player of the Year,” All-State and All Southeastern PA Soccer team honors her senior year.

Lisa led the lacrosse team in scoring all four years and in her senior year scored the most goals of any player at GS for lacrosse with 96 goals–she also had 45 assists. She holds the record for the most groundballs in a season with 140 (she had a total of 429 ground balls in her lacrosse career). Her lacrosse team remained undefeated during the FSL regular season in both her senior and sophomore year. Lisa was selected for the Bucks County Courier Times Golden First Team in lacrosse in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and was selected as the lacrosse “Player of the Year” by the Bucks County Courier Times.

She went on to be a four-year, two sport (soccer and lacrosse), Division 1 athlete at Old Dominion University, where she was also an All-Conference lacrosse and soccer player. Her teams were nationally ranked her freshman year. Additionally, she was honored as Old Dominion’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2012. She is also in the record book at Old Dominion for a number of lacrosse stats including top ten for career goals, assists and points, caused turnovers, and draw controls.

Lisa now works as a Customer Experience Representative for electroCore, a medical technology company. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Alex, who is a professional soccer player in the MLS, and their two-year old son, Madden.

Alice Henriques ’98 (swimming)
A remarkable swimmer and scholar-athlete, Alice was a two-time Eastern Interscholastic champion in the 100 yard fly and was a finalist at the 1997 Spring Nationals and the 1998 Senior Nationals in the 200m backstroke during her time at George School.

At the University of California, Berkeley, Alice continued competitive swimming in the backstroke/butterfly. She was the team captain during her junior year and held the team’s second-best time in the 200m back (1:58.59, sixth-best all-time Cal mark).

She continued to define herself as a scholar-athlete throughout her college career, commenting to the Washingtonian, “In college, I was the team nerd.”

Alice competed in the US team’s Olympic trials in 2000 in Indianapolis for the 100m and 200m backstroke where she came in 12th and made the semifinals in the 200m back (2:17.31). She also competed in the trials again in 2004 in Long Beach, California.

Alice holds a PHD in Economics from Columbia University, and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently the Chief of Microeconomic Surveys for the Federal Reserve Board.

Dick Packer ’52 (soccer)
A standout two-sport athlete, Dick was a leader in soccer and baseball at George School, captaining both teams his senior year. During his sophomore year, the soccer team boasted a 7-1-4 record with 36 goals scored and only 16 allowed.

Dick went on to play soccer and baseball at Penn State University on a full athletic scholarship. He was part of a back-to-back national championship soccer team in 1954 and 1955 and named to the 1954 and 1955 First Team All-American team. He is noted as setting a school record at Penn State for goals (24) scored in a season that was not broken for 40 years. According to the Daily Collegian, Dick ended his distinguished Penn State career with 53 goals.

In 1956, he was selected to the US national soccer team at the Olympics—becoming the first Penn State player ever selected to a US Olympic soccer team, as well as the only collegiate player named to the 15-member squad. “It was the greatest experience of my life,” Dick commented to the Daily Collegian, “That was a wonderful honor to be part of that team.” He was also a member of the US Armed Forces European Soccer team, and of a national champion club team.

Dick continues to contribute to the game as Director of Packer Soccer Camps, a youth soccer program near his home in Connecticut. He is also Regional Vice President of Maritz Travel, an international meeting and incentive travel company.

Jennifer Stone ’00 (field hockey and lacrosse)
Jennifer’s athletic skills extended to fields and the court with her outstanding contributions to George School field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. It was field hockey, however, that clearly became her life-long passion.

Jennifer was named to the FSL First Team all four years in field hockey and the Trenton Times All-Area second team her freshman year, she was named Bucks County Courier Times “Player of the Year” in 1998 and was the second leading scorer in Bucks County. Her team was a league finalist in 1996, made the league semis in 1997, and was again an FSL finalist in 1998. In 1999, Jennifer was selected to go to the National Tournament with the Private Independent school team.

She carried her passion for the sport into college and then her career at Lafayette College. One of the most successful players in program history at Lafayette, she received the Charles L. Albert Award as the most outstanding senior female student-athlete. Jennifer was an All-American selection in 2003, as well as a regional All-American in 2002 and 2003. She was field hockey offensive player of the year in the Patriot League her senior year and was an All-Patriot League athlete in both field hockey and lacrosse.

Jennifer is currently entering her tenth season as the Head Coach of field hockey at Lafayette College, a position she has held since 2013 when she transitioned from her role as Assistant Coach. Her dedication to the team has helped them to ascend into national prominence through her strategy of recruiting and developing strong players. Her team has also excelled academically and is carrying a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the 13th straight year.

“I really enjoy coaching, and it can be a 24-hour-a-day job for me,” Jennifer commented to the Bucks County Courier Times. “I still consider myself a student and I’m always looking at different aspects of the game. It has been something that I can totally involve myself in. I know this is what I want to do and will continue as long as I have the energy every day to do it.”

The 1999 Football Team
The 1999 varsity football team is widely considered the best in George School’s history. With an explosive offense that averaged more than 30 points a game (the only GS team to do so in a complete season) and a stalwart defense that allowed an average of only 11.5 points per game, the 1999 team set school records for games won in a season (7), points scored (241), and point differential (+149).  Among GS varsity football teams that played a full season (minimum 6 games played), the 1999 varsity football team also set a record for most points scored per game (30.1), had the best point differential per game in school history (18.6), and tied the 1967 varsity football team for best winning percentage (.875). The key to success for the 1999 team? Determination, spirit, and experience.

Team roster: Jon Compitello ’02, Scott Mahoney ’00, Adrian Days ’02, Andrew Ambler ’00, Ryan Mellon ’02, Jamaal Mobley ’00, Adam Tabor ’01, Justin Smith ’00, James Lee ’01, Steve Lunger ’01, Matthew Gray ’01, Shaun Greene ’01, AQ Abdul-Karim ’01, Joe Krivda ’01, Tyler Caron ’02, Ben Fisher ’02, Steve Chiorazzi ’02, Ryan Bradley ’01, Thomas Pittman ’01, Russ Nicolaysen ’00, Josh Skversky ’00, Mike Bell ’01, Nick Ventresca ’00, David Bell ’01, Patrick McGrail-Peasley ’00, Dave Wright ’00, Kenny Lee ’01, Andrew Kelleher ’03, and Gerard Best ’01. Captains: Jamaal Mobley ’00 and Russ Nicolaysen ’00. Coach: John Gleeson.

Anne LeDuc (George School Tenure: 1962 – 1993)
Anne influenced the lives of many George School students during her decades of coaching basketball, swimming, lacrosse, and field hockey at George School. In addition to coaching from 1962 to 1993, Anne became the Girls’ Athletic Director, which allowed her to oversee and mentor other coaches. She was also one of the founders of the Friends Schools League (FSL) with a goal of creating equal opportunities for young women athletes. A nomination note submitted for Anne stated, “Anne was a larger-than-life coach, mentor, athletic organizer, advisor, fighter for women’s athletics, athlete herself, and employer (of many students at the historic Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, NJ). A brilliant woman who gave so much of her life in service to George School.” Learn more about Anne.

Paul Machemer ’65 (George School Tenure: 1969 – 2019)
Paul dedicated 50 years of service to George School inside and outside the classroom. He was not only a master teacher of athletes but was also committed to inspiring students’ mathematical imaginations and curiosity. He developed his players’ fundamental skills to the high level where intuition and improvisation could prevail at critical moments. A nomination note submitted for Paul stated, “Outstanding coaching, numerous Friends League titles, character development of his players, respect from other Friends League coaches. [He] coached in a manner consistently faithful to the mission of the School. Paul was a consummate coach. Although winning was important, the journey with his players was equally important and what he truly enjoyed.”

Robert Geissinger (George School Tenure: 1952 – 1990)
Robert came to George School as Assistant Director of Physical Education in 1952 and served as the director from 1962 until he retired in 1990. He expanded the athletics program during his tenure to include interscholastic lacrosse, cross country, and golf. The Geissinger Gym in the Fitness and Athletics Center (FAC) is named in his honor. A nomination note submitted for Robert stated, “Bob Geissinger was not just a coach, he was a mentor and advisor to many, many students. To this day he remains a reason for so many to stay in contact with George School. All who had the privilege of knowing him, respect him—he had genuine concern for so many, and they knew it.”

Elaine Maddox (Class of 1983)
Elaine was an outstanding student-athlete during her time at George School. She played multiple sports including field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. In field hockey, Elaine played midfielder and in 1981 was a league finalist. She was also a varsity point guard on an FSL Championship team in basketball from 1981-1982 and 1982-1983, was undefeated in league in 1982-1983 (14-1 record overall) and had a 24-game winning streak in 1981-82 (15-1). She averaged 21.5 points per game (no threes) in 1982-1983, scored 20 points in finals, and was co-captain of the team. In lacrosse, Elaine played midfield and was part of a team that was a FSL finalist in 1982 and 1983. She went on to attend the University of Virginia (UVA) where she played lacrosse and field hockey. She was First Team All-American in lacrosse at UVA from 1984-1986, and a First Team All-American in field hockey at UVA in 1985 and 1986. She was also a member of the USA National Lacrosse Team from 1984-1987. A nomination note submitted for Elaine stated, “She was one of the best athletes I have ever coached at George School!”

Stanley Sutton (George School Tenure: 1922 – 1962)
Stanley was hired in 1922 as the Director for Boys’ Physical Education. He started football as an interscholastic sport and added wrestling, cross country, and swimming during his tenure as director. He also found the George School Cross Country Invitational. As written in George School: The History of a Quaker Community by Kingdon Swayne, Stanley and Grace Thwing (Director of Girls’ Education 1920-1949), “defined the George School style in athletics: individual growth, comradeship and fair play took precedence over winning.” A nomination note submitted for Stanley stated, “Stan made athletics at GS a major part of the school experience.”