Maggie L. Walker Governor's School For Government and International Studies - Athletics

Athletics

MLWGS competes in the AAA Colonial District and AAA Central Region of the Virginia High School League. With fewer than 700 students, MLWGS is one of the smallest schools in Group AAA, a classification generally meant for schools of over 1,500 students. It would normally play in Group A, the smallest enrollment classification in the VHSL, but plays in Group AAA in order to play with the other Richmond-area schools and because there are so few Group A schools within a reasonable driving distance. The school fields teams in basketball, dance, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, field hockey, cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and softball; only football is omitted from the offerings of a traditional public high school. The school mascot is the Green Dragon, adopted from the former Maggie L. Walker High School. In 2001, the boys cross country team won the state AAA championship, led to victory by head coach Jim Holdren. In 2010, the Maggie Walker girls cross country team became the state runner-up in the AAA championship. In 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011 the field hockey team won the colonial district championship. In 2008 the team was the central region runner-up to rival Thomas Dale, which qualified the team to go to states for the first time in 3 years. In 2010 and 2011 the team won the Central Region Championship and once again played in the State Tournament.

Prior to the school's move to the Maggie Walker building, Governor's School students participated in the athletic program of host Thomas Jefferson High School, and shared TJ's Viking mascot and red/white official colors. As it became clear by 1997-98 that GSGIS students made up a majority or near-majority of participants in all offerings but football and boys' basketball, the teams in all but those two sports were officially designated Thomas Jefferson/Governor's School (TJ/GS) by the VHSL until GSGIS's move. MLWGS does not have a football team, despite being the only Richmond area school with a graduate in the NFL Hall of Fame, linebacker Willie Lanier, although he played before the school was shut down and then reopened as a magnet school.