Grabbing Your A-10tion

George Washington Colonials

Location: Washington, D.C.
Founded: 1821
Enrollment: 20,445
Nickname: Colonials
Colors: Buff and Blue
President: Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Director of Athletics: Jack Kvancz
Joined the A-10: 1977
Driving distance from Charlotte: 390 miles
Website: www.GWsports.com
Sports in which the 49ers and Colonials will compete: Baseball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Men's Cross-Country, Women's Cross-Country, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Volleyball
Other Sports: Women's Gymnastics, Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Rowing, Men's and Women's Squash, Men's and Women's Swimming, Men's and Women's Water Polo
Recent League Tournament Titles: Men's Basketball (2005); Men's Soccer (2004; 2002); Women's Basketball (2003); Baseball (2002); Volleyball (2000)
Recent NCAA appearances: Men's Basketball (2005); Women's Basketball (2005; 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000); Men's Soccer (2004; 2002); Baseball (2002); Volleyball (2000)

1.) Mall Hopping... No not that mall. The National Mall offers students the chance to study among the monuments or take a jog down the beautiful lawn that surrounds many of the city's most prestigious buildings. Not to mention, just off of the mall you can visit the National Zoo, the Washington National Cathedral and museum after museum. Of course, if you are looking for the other mall there is Tyson's Corner, voted the best mall by Washingtonian Magazine. Tyson's, divided into two shopping meccas, contains 250 shops from the standards to the speciality boutiques. It requires more than a day to cover all the square footage.

2.) Talk About Your High End Neighborhood ... Five blocks west of the White House and a few blocks east of the Kennedy Center, Potomac River and the Watergate Complex, George Washington University is bordered on the south by the State Department and the Lincoln Memorial.

3.) Growing City... George Washington University students can enjoy a variety of things to do in the city ranked first among large cities in the East according to Money Magazine's Best Places to Live survey. The Washington, D.C. area boasts 44 colleges and universities and almost 400,000 students, therefore student life is vital to the capital city.

4.) Famous faces... George Washington University lists among its famous alumni: former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach ('40), Secretary of State General Colin Powell (MBA '71), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (BA '51) and actor (Party of Five) Scott Wolf ('90).

5.) Good Eatin'... Looking to grab a bite to eat close to campus, locals recommend the following: the GW Deli, Lindy's Bon Apetite, the Foggy Bottom Pub, the Red Lion, the Magic Gourd, Old Glory and J Street (student union). There is a collection of eateries in the student union. Ironically, there is no J Street in Washington, D.C. hence the name of the Student Union.

6.) I can see clearly now... George Washington University is located in a historic neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. called Foggy Bottom. The name Foggy Bottom came about because of the neighborhood's location on the marshy ground along the Potomac riverfront and the mists that arose from the river. In Washington, D.C.'s early days the area was a port. Stevens Elementary School, at 21st and K Streets, one of the first public schools in the city for African Americans is located in Foggy Bottom. The neighborhood is home to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the State Department and the Department of the Interior. In addition, a number of international organizations call Foggy Bottom home: the World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization among them.

7.) Fly me to the moon... Nicknamed "America's treasure house for learning", the Smithsonian Institute offers something for everyone. The most popular of the Smithsonian museums is the Air and Space. More than eight million people each year visit the exhibits, from viewing Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis to the Apollo 11 command module in which Neil Armstrong and the crew flew back from the first moon landing. The National Museum of Modern History, which opened in 1964, contains everything from Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs from the popular sitcom "All in the Family" to trying your hand at a DNA fingerprinting technique. You can trace the history of transportation in America, view an exhibition that highlights the First Ladies of the United States and learn about technology all the way from the telegraph to today's methods including the World Wide Web.

8.) Memorial, anyone?... There is no city richer in history than our nation's capital. The Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial are two of the city's most treasured and recognized landmarks. Dedicated in 1922, a 19-foot marble statue of Abraham Lincoln stares out at you when you enter the gothic structure. You can recite the Gettysburg Address or read a passage from the 16th President's second inaugural address. Meanwhile Thomas Jefferson, third president and Virginia native, has forever a view of the city from his perch at the Jefferson Memorial. Dedicated in 1943, the memorial is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome and honors the great statesman.

9.) Buy me a ticket... CNN White House correspondent Wolf Blitzer is a George Washington men's basketball season-ticket holder. Many politicians have been known to catch a game or two at the Smith Center. Among those cheering on the Colonials: Former President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea, former Health and Human Services secretary Donna Shalala and District of Columbia mayor Anthony Williams. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney spoke at the Smith Center one day before their inauguration.