This year’s fall DCSAA All-State team is filled with Tigers. Six student-athletes and one coach were recognized for their efforts. 

In addition to being selected for the All-State team, senior and volleyball player Summer Campbell won Player of the Year and District of Columbia Gatorade Player of the Year for Girl’s Volleyball. Campbell is a senior middle blocker on the court. She owes a large part of her success to the Wilson team’s environment. 

“They make me feel safe to make mistakes, and it’s just very homey,” Campbell said. She was overjoyed when she found out about her selection. “I felt this warm and fuzzy feeling when I was recognized for all my hard work.” As for the future, Campbell hopes to get on the court as much as possible in college, but doesn’t plan on committing until later this year. 

Her coach, Wilson Clinical Psychologist Perette Arrington, won Coach of the Year and 2021 Fall All-Met Washington Post Coach of the Year. Arrington, who has coached the Wilson volleyball team for 22 years, says the All-Met award was especially meaningful because she won it alongside her sister, Patrice Arrington. Patrice, who was formerly Wilson’s College and Career Coordinator left the school last year to coach the Flint Hill Huskies in Virginia. Flint Hill, like Wilson, won their state championship. 

“Everything I stand for is for my team,” Arrington said. She explained that using her psychology background to read and connect with players has helped her be a successful coach. When asked what set Wilson apart from the other teams this year, Arrington said, “this year we practiced harder than we had ever practiced.” 

Interestingly enough, all Wilson student-athletes selected for the All-State team learned the news from the Wilson Tigers Athletics Instagram. Senior Cooper Laine was especially surprised when he heard he had been nominated for the Boys Soccer All-State Team because this was his first time playing forward in a competitive environment. “I was able to score a lot of goals this year thanks to my team,” Laine said. 

All-State winners Gillian Gessert (a setter on the volleyball team), and football players Ian Wall and Robert Nelson Jr. (defensive back and corner back respectively) are juniors and plan on playing next year. The senior All-State winners will sadly be moving on without their fellow Tigers by their side. Senior Lucy Harllee, a midfielder on girls’ soccer, hopes that the team can continue to have an inclusive environment and consistently score goals next year. 

For all the athletes honored, winning this award meant a lot. “My mom and I were screaming when we found out,” Campbell said. Each athlete emphasized their respect for their teams and enthusiastically credited their teammates for giving them the opportunity to thrive. They all look forward to pursuing their sports next year, whether wearing a Wilson jersey or not. •