George Washington University Athletics
Colonials En España
The GW women's basketball team is embarking on a 10-day foreign tour of Spain. The Colonials are set to play four exhibition games against European clubs with plenty of time left over to explore the homeland of decorated alums Noelia Gomez ('99), Elisa Aguilar ('00) and Anna Montañana ('05) during the trip, which runs Aug. 13-23.
Be sure to check back here for daily updates from the trip and follow the Colonials on Twitter (@GW_WBB), Instagram (@GW_WBB) and Facebook (George Washington Women's Basketball) for more. #SubirAlto #RaiseHigh
DAY 10
We headed home after an unforgettable trip!
What an unforgettable trip! Thanks to everyone who followed along! #SubirAlto #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/qDKmnsGI1L
— GW Womens Basketball (@GW_WBB) August 23, 2018
DAY 9
The Colonials kicked off their final day in Spain with a trip to the famed Segrada Familia church. After a tour of the still-under-construction architectural masterpiece, they headed back to the beach for a relaxing afternoon. They finished the day with a stop at the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc for the sunset water show. (Check out a gallery here.)
@GW_WBB in Barcelona
DAY 8
The Colonials spent the morning split between FC Barcelona’s home Camp Nou and the beach before their final exhibition in Spain. (Check out a photo gallery here.)
Later, they headed back to Sant Juliá de Vilatorta to face ZKK Celja again. The Buff and Blue dropped a defensive battle in their exhibition finale for the trip but showed real improvement over their first matchup with the seven-time defending Slovenia League champions. (Check out a photo gallery here.)
@GW_WBB Exhibition Finale
DAY 7
The Colonials kicked off the day with a sightseeing tour around Barcelona, which included stops at the Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 1992 Games, and Montjuic, the highest point in the city. (Check out a photo gallery here.)
In the evening, they fell to seven-time defending Slovenian League champions ZKK Celje in their third of four exhibitions in Spain. (Check out a photo gallery of the game action here.)
@GW_WBB vs. ZKK Celje
DAY 6
After breakfast in Valencia, the Colonials boarded a bus to head to Barcelona. The trip included a detour to Cambrils where they spent part of the afternoon on a catamaran cruise in the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. (Check out a photo gallery here.)
@GW_WBB Catamaran Cruise
Then, it was on to the final city on this foreign tour. The first of four nights in Barcelona was highlighted by a Flamenco show.
@GW_WBB in Valencia
DAY 5
The Colonials kicked off gameday in Valencia with a visit to the coastal city's Museo Taurino (Bullfighting Museum) and Mercado Central (Central Market). Then, they hit the beach to relax. (Check out a photo gallery here.)
At night, they took the court for their second of four exhibitions, using a balanced scoring effort to knock off the Valencia All-Stars, 97-73. It was a special night with GW great Anna Montañana on the opposite sideline. Afterward, the Valencia native chatted with the squad and led a tour of the sprawling L'Alqueria del Basket facility. (Check out a photo gallery here.)
@GW_WBB vs. Valencia All-Stars
DAY 4
After breakfast at the hotel in Madrid, the Colonials headed to catch a high-speed train for the roughly two-hour trip to Valencia. There, they checked out the City of Arts and Sciences and then headed to the beach for the rest of the afternoon before it was time to check into the hotel. (Check out a gallery here.)
@GW_WBB in Madrid
DAY 3
The Colonials hit the road to the historic city of Toledo to begin the day. There, they took in the scenic views and visited the gorgeous Toledo Cathedral. (Check out a photo gallery here.) Later, they got more familiar with the local cuisine via a tapas crawl on the final night in Madrid.
DAY 2
The Colonials started off the day with a walking tour of Madrid, highlighted by a scavenger hunt in the city's Parque del Buen Retiro. Real Madrid, led by head coach Jen Rizzotti, came out on top. (Check out a photo gallery of the morning here.)
@GW_WBB Madrid Scavenger Hunt
Later, GW took the court for its first of four exhibitions on this trip. Behind 19 points from newcomer Sydney Zambrotta, the Colonials held off CD CREF, 63-58, in their first chance to showcase four first-years and three transfer additions. It was great to see all-time great Colonial Elisa Aguilar in the crowd, too. (Check out a photo gallery of the action here.)
@GW_WBB Earns Exhibition Win in Madrid
DAY 1
The Colonials arrived in Spain on Tuesday morning after an overnight flight from Dulles International Airport. They jumped right into the fun with a bus tour of the Spanish capital, including stops at the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas and famed soccer club Real Madrid's home Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. After some time to rest and relax after their long journey, the squad finished the day with a team dinner in a restaurant specializing in traditional local cuisine off a breathtaking plaza near the hotel. (Check out a photo gallery of the day here.)
@GW_WBB Begins Spanish Adventure
BEFORE THE TRIP
GW took to the court July 18 for their first of 10 NCAA-permitted practice sessions leading up to the foreign tour. The extra workouts gave the defending Atlantic 10 champion Colonials a chance to begin working toward the 2018-19 season. (Check out a photo gallery here.) They also had some fun playing tourist close to home with a summer scavenger hunt and getting to know more about Spain as they prepared for the journey overseas.
@GW_WBB Takes Spain
@GW_WBB Competes to Paint Like Picasso
@GW_WBB Competes in a Game of Spanish Pictionary
@GW_WBB Hard at Work Preparing for Spain