The wrestling room gets new record boards in honor of Coach Lou.

When Coach Lou Heberer retired this summer, Gabe Cohen ’03 felt moved to honor the coach who had meant so much to him. So he and former wrestlers Chan Willett ’93, Alex Karam ’95, Dan Kovler ’02, Gabe Cohen ’03, AJ Parks ’09, and Brennan Shanks ’09 reached out to their fellow alumni to raise money to design and install new record boards in the wrestling rooms. The entire Sidwell Friends community responded, surpassing the original goal of $15,000 in under six weeks.

The boards, which were unveiled on January 30 before a match against Potomac School, honor the record-holding wrestlers and teams of days past while paying homage to Coach Lou, the man who guided them to many of those achievements over the past 33 years.

In addition to listing MAC championships, wrestlers with 100 wins, and national prep place finishers, the boards represent “just a portion of the lives you’ve touched through your commitment to this program,” said current wrestling head coach Josh Markey, who was an assistant to Lou during his tenure. “I’m hopeful we can move forward in a way that will make you proud.”

“This brings back all the memories of what we have accomplished, not what I have accomplished,” said Lou, thanking the team, SFS faculty and staff, and especially his wife, Ann, for supporting him over the years.

Sidwell Friends went on to defeat Potomac, 48-24. Be sure to stop by the wrestling room to check out the new boards, check out pictures from the dedication and match, and don’t miss the video tribute to Coach Lou created by Perry Pickert ’94.