Winter sports teams gearing up for the season

With Thanksgiving wrapped up and holiday decorations appearing around town, the winter sports season for Weston High School student-athletes is set to begin.

During the winter season, students are offered basketball, hockey, alpine and cross country skiing, winter track, fencing, gymnastics, swimming/diving and wrestling.

In this first story of a two-part series, the girls basketball, fencing, gymnastics and swimming and diving teams lay out their thoughts for the 2025-26 season.

Girls Basketball

When the Wildcats take to the court on Dec. 9, Brooke Obar, a former Bentley University basketball player, will start her first season at the helm of the varsity girls basketball team.

Obar said she intends to establish a team identity early on, consisting of toughness, unity and player development.

“I want to create an environment where athletes feel supported, pushed and confident,” said Obar.

The team finished 5-13 last season. Obar said that effort laid down a foundation for what is to come this season and in the future.

“I want to honor what was done in past years, while also raising the expectations for consistency, competitiveness and daily improvement,” she said.

Obar said she expects the team to be versatile. She said the group communicates well and competes with pride.

In the first weeks of practice leading up to games, the team will focus on conditioning, team concepts and effort levels.

“Every athlete on our roster has something unique to contribute, and I’m excited about the potential across the board,” said Obar. “We have returning players who bring valuable experience, younger players who are eager to step into bigger roles and a group that is hungry to compete.”

Fencing

The fencing program is coming off a very successful season in which they took home a state championship trophy in the boys’ division.

Head Coach Harrison Hue expects the program to be successful again this season. His goal is to stay atop the conference and he hopes each squad will qualify for the state championships.

“Our practices will focus on skill development for our new members and coordination, timing and discipline for our more experienced fencers,” said Hue. “It is important that our team feels comfortable enough in competitive environments before the first meet of the season.”

Hue said he expects about 13 boys and eight girls to compete this season.

Some athletes to look out for are Jonathan Wu, Michael Lin, Evan Kang, Angela Song and Susan Shu, according to Hue.

Gymnastics

A gymnastics team made up of both Weston and Wayland students competed for the first time in 2024-2025.

Head Coach Julia Schaefer said the first season was a huge success, as the team significantly improved its score from the beginning of the season to the end.

“Our goals for this season are centered on continuous improvement and team enrichment,” said Schaefer. “We plan to leverage the experience gained last year to make our planning and logistics significantly smoother for the entire team.”

Schaefer said the program fostered a positive, fun and supportive atmosphere. Building a team bond will again be a focus of the season.

“We envision the core strengths of the team this season will be exceptional, supportive athletes and a willingness to learn and grow,” said Schaefer. “As a new program, maintaining an open mind and embracing continuous improvement are essential, and we are confident that these qualities will be the driving force behind our success.”

Sahana Krishnan, Maeve Liston and Sophia Chuyan are three Weston athletes who had successful seasons a year ago, said Schaefer.

The team will kick off its season on Jan. 8 with a meet at Westford Academy.

Swimming and diving

The 2024-25 season was a successful one for the Weston swimming and diving program. The girls won the state championship and the boys finished second.

Head Coach Jim McLaughlin said this season the goals are to build community within the team and help each athlete improve each practice.

The current strength of the program is diving, McLaughlin said. There are strong divers returning on both the boys’ and girls’ sides, and everyone has improved in the offseason, he said.

“At the beginning of the season we will be working on getting our technique to be as good as possible so that we will be ready to compete at a high level early this season,” said McLaughlin.

Savanna Ferrucci, who is committed to compete at Bucknell University, is a diver to watch on the girls side, said McLaughlin.