Congratulations to the Wellesley High School girls’ & boys’ track & field teams, which on Feb. 13 once again won the Division 2 state titles in convincing fashion at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center.

For the girls, this is 4 indoor track & field titles in a row. The boys defended their title.

These teams graduate amazing athletes each year but have instilled a culture that attracts and develops more excellent athletes each season.

This time around, both teams relied on depth and teamwork. The girls won the 4×200 relay and finished second in the 4×400, while individually, Abby Comella placed second in the 300-meter race and Grace Wheelan came in 5th in the mile. The boys, as usual, wrecked the competition in the 4×800. Jackson O’Toole won the 1000m race, Derek Chalmers contributed in multiple events and won the 300m race, and Zach Barry ran to 2nd in the mile.

Full results here, plus more coverage by the Globe (subscription required).

We’d love to do a better job of keep you posted on Wellesley High School sports in the spring.

The Wellesley High School girls’ varsity basketball team packs a lot of hoop into every weekend during its season. Games on most Friday nights, a couple hours of practice on Saturday morning, and then a few hours of coaching 2nd grade Mini-Raiders on Saturday afternoon.

“It is a very long day for them and they maintain unbelievable stamina and spirit,” says Wellesley High girls’ basketball coach Glen Magpiong. “They make the kids feel special and fill the room with great energy.”

I swung by the lower gym at Wellesley Middle School recently to catch a few minutes of the coaching action during the Wellesley Youth Basketball program. The nearly 2 dozen elementary school girls were winding down their session, but still looked full of pep. One girl tossed up a lefty layup, and from the reaction of the high school player coaching her, I got the impression that kid wasn’t a natural born lefty.

Another young player had a tight grip on the ball when Magpiong tried to surprise her and knock it out of her hands. “You were ready for me, I thought I’d get you,” he joked.

Parents sat around the edges of the court, content to let the older girls teach their kids the ropes.

“I really feel like the sooner we can introduce the fundamentals of the game to the kids, the better prepared they will be if the pursue basketball in future years. We do try to do it in a fun yet structured environment,” says Magpiong, noting the program has been running for several years.

Wellesley Youth Basketball’s Nancy Williamson told me she gets a bit teary watching the older girls teach the younger girls, just as they were taught by older girls not that long ago.

Mini-motivators

Anna Glashow, one of the Raiders’ captains this season, is a regular at the Mini-Raiders sessions. Coaching the kids has motivated the high school Raiders throughout the season, she says.

“A typical session includes practicing layups (from the block and full court), dribbling relays, dribble knockout, 1v1’s, and ‘last second’ shots. We also work on jump-stopping and faking shots and passes,” she says. “A lot of the drills and games we have incorporated into our own practices this season and they’re all tons of fun.”

Many of the young girls show up to cheer on the Raiders at their games, too.

Glashow says one of her favorite memories from this season was teaming up with all of the kids to eliminate teammate Kaelagh Malloy from a game of dribble knockout. “It was fun to watch the kids get competitive with the players and exemplified the bonds we had formed throughout the season,” she says.

 

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While the girls’ basketball team’s effort is outstanding, it should be noted that many Wellesley High student-athletes (and non-athletes, for that matter) are generous with their time. Other WHS teams support programs such as the Unified Track & Field Team, and host clinics for sports such as tennis and soccer.

Wellesley High Athletic Director John Brown says “We have some great student-athletes who do lots of volunteer work. We do encourage this through the coaches.”

Keep us updated on Wellesley High winter sports action: We invite coaches, team managers, parents, athletes to keep us updated on your season via this form.

More: Wellesley Sports Discussion Group on Facebook

Think Beyond Pink basketball doubleheader and fundraiser on Feb. 11

A handful of Wellesley athletes, and 1 coach, have been recognized for their outstanding performances during the fall as all-scholastics by the Boston Globe.

Earning accolades were Wellesley High School 200 freestyle relay swimmers Isabelle Boegholm, Keleyia Rochelle, Nellie Thompson and Valerie Passanisi, who helped lead the team to its Division 2 state championship title. Coach Jennifer Dutton earned Coach of the Year honors for leading the team through its undefeated season.

Wellesley High football quarterback Matt Maoina and Groton School’s Caleb Coleman (running back and linebacker) of Wellesley both were named all-scholastics.

Other Wellesley all-scholastics:

Cross country runner Jason Norris, who helped the Raiders finish second at the all-state championships

Golfer Michael Thorbjornsen, who lived up the the hype during his debut season at Wellesley High

Numerous other WHS athletes were also recognized as all-stars (apologies if we missed other private school students, tricky to determine which are from Wellesley).

Keep us updated on Wellesley High winter sports action: We invite coaches, team managers, parents, athletes to keep us updated on your season via this form.

More: Wellesley Sports Discussion Group on Facebook