If you stroll down to Chandler Field on a weekday afternoon, you will likely hear an energetic voice pushing the girls’ tennis team through their warm-up. That voice belongs to Coach Ricky Lizardo, who joined Webb this year with a clear coaching mantra: “Let’s try to get one percent better every day.” 

“He keeps us positive,” said Ava Austria (‘28), a player on the girls’ varsity team. “We are always working hard to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.” 

Coach Ricky brings over a decade of coaching experience, as well as time playing on the Hope International University team. Having taught players of all levels and developed many great high school players, Ricky’s philosophy emphasizes focus and intentionality.  

“It’s not about how much you train,” he said. “It’s about what you are doing when you are out on the court. If you are just mindlessly hitting, you are not getting much out of it.” 

To put this mindset into practice, Ricky begins each session with a dynamic warm-up. Players rotate through drill stations featuring ladder steps, cones, and other obstacle courses to improve their agility, balance, and stamina.  

“This year, we started off practice with a lot of conditioning before we warmed up at the baseline,” said Sakeena Hussain (‘27), the captain of the girls’ team. “It helped a lot with my movement on the court, and I was able to get to a lot of balls I normally wouldn’t have been able to reach.” 

Although many of the players on the team were struggling to keep up with the intensity and pace of the practice at the start of the season, the team has steadily improved and grown stronger. 

“Coach Ricky really brought us out of our comfort zone,” Ava said. “We are always playing with different people and testing out different things that we’ve never done before.” 

With an overall record of 8-8 and 4-4 in league, the girls’ team is looking strong as they head off to CIF in two weeks. And while these league matches can be stressful at times, many fond memories have come out of it.  

“My favorite memory was when I hit my first overhead in a match because I’ve never done it before this year,” Ava said. “Before that, I didn’t really have the confidence to do something that I wasn’t comfortable with.” 

“For me, it was hearing players who were injured on the sidelines shouting encouragements” Sakeena said. “It was really heartwarming and fostered a great team spirit.”  

As the season moves into the second half, coach Ricky has set some goals for the team to work towards. 

“I hope the team continues to build the culture that we have,” Ricky said. “I want to see us coming more together. Being more energized on the court, not for one, but for the rest of the team. And just working towards self-development on and off court.” 

The players also set some of their own goals: 

“I want to try out new strategies,” Sakeena said. “And most importantly, get along and be able to play with all my teammates.” 

With a coach dedicated to improving the players and a team who is ready to step out of their comfort zone, the girls’ tennis team is ready to score some wins in CIF. 

If you leave campus and drive 10 minutes down the road to the Marshall Canyon Golf Course, you will find the Webb Girls Golf Team, swinging away and giving it their all. With an outstanding record of 9-1, the team is the league champions, ready for the CIF playoffs that are coming up soon.  

So, what is the team’s secret to success? The team itself. Players giving high fives and offering words of encouragement to their teammates is a common site on the putting green, leading to a positive and efficient environment. 

“I think we’re all really supportive, and we consciously practice being supportive,” said Sophie Lin (’26), one of the captains of the girls’ team. “We make a conscious effort to say ‘good job’ when people get their putt in and tell them that they always have another shot if it doesn’t go very well, and that’s something I really appreciate.” 

Besides fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, the team is also focusing on going back to the basics. This season, the coaching staff is working on honing the players’ foundational golf skills, to lay the groundwork for all around improvement. With these goals in mind, the team is hoping to go far in CIF. 

“We always like to make it to the CIF Division tournament, and we were 2nd at the Division 4 CIF match last year,” said Geoffrey Owers, mathematics department faculty and head coach, “I think our team is about as competitive this year as last year’s team was, so we’ll see if we can finish the season like that again!” 

Rest assured, the girls’ golf team is going to keep on swinging, and their season is looking strong. 

The Gauls are coming off strong this season with a 5–2 record, setting a great foundation for the more league games coming up. The team has changed its tactics compared to last season, due to newly injured players.  

“Unfortunately, our starting quarterback, Kaj Grayson (’27), tore his ACL, and he’s out for the season,” said Amahl Thomas, head coach of the varsity football team. “But just like most coaches preach, it’s a next-person-up mentality. Mikey Pino has stepped up and taken over right where Kaj left off.” 

This season also brought a new tactical change. The team has now embedded empty formation offense into games.  

“We decided back in March to go empty formation, which means no running backs,” Coach Thomas said. “My star running back last year, Aaden Mozia (‘26), wanted to focus on track and limit the risk of injury, so I decided back in March to commit to empty formation, which is all wide receivers.  

After reading many books and completing comprehensive research, Coach Thomas has set the team up for success this year with the new change in formation. Alongside strategic shifts, the team has also embraced a new motto: “We, then me.” Throughout the season, the coaches noticed that players have been putting the team first before their own goals, and countless examples of that commitment have already emerged and been recognized. The hope is that this mindset will continue to develop and shape the Webb varsity football team.  

While many teams enter the fall season with rosters stacked with returning veterans, senior captain Jerry Chen (‘25) finds the boys’ cross-country team in a rebuilding year. 

Jerry reflected on the team’s strengths, highlighting the togetherness that has carried them through challenging practices. “I think the strength of our team is really us trying to stick together in workouts and the ability to motivate each other,” Jerry said. “A lot of people would see cross country as an individual sport, but we really value it as a team.” 

Luke Raus, mathematics department and boys’ cross country assistant coach, has also noted the competitive dynamic among this year’s runners, with no clear gap between varsity and JV this year.  

“This year I feel like we’ve got 10, 11, 12 guys at least who are all sort of tying for those varsity spots,” Mr. Raus said. “It would actually be a really interesting dynamic year to see who exactly rounds out the varsity squad as we go into league competition.” 

For Mr. Raus, the season isn’t just about the times the runners achieve, but also about the way cross country connects runners to the world beyond campus. 

“I think I overheard one of the students say something about like cross-country really feels like a family.” Mr. Raus said. “And so that’s one of the things I really enjoy about the sport and really enjoy about coaching it as well.”  

The team has also already run a number of challenging and new courses this season. For Jerry, the toughest challenge isn’t the hills or the heat, but the final push to the finish. 

 “When I’m in the last stretch of a race, I tell myself I’ve done this before, and I can do it again,” he said, reflecting on his performance at the team’s first league meet in Avalon. “That reminder gives me the grit to hold my pace and not give in when I’m tired.” 

The boys’ varsity team recently clinched 4th at their league meet in Avalon, with the JV squad taking a quite dominating win against the other schools. They then proceeded to race at 2 big invitationals, Woodbridge and Bell Jeff, where almost everyone on the team ran their personal best in the first and 9 boys acquired medals in the latter. Even with the loss of a big chunk of the team, the team is off to a great start to the year.  

The girls’ cross-country team launched into the season with a performance that set the tone early on. Many PRs were seen throughout the league meets and invitationals, with Demi He (’27), one of the team captains, winning a medal for placing 43rd out of 93 at Bell Jeff invitational. 

Coach Trobaugh has praised the team’s effort and attitude so far. “The group of runners that we have out this year is really enthusiastic about being there and working really, really hard, and I have high hopes for seeing a lot of PRs this season,” said Coach Trobaugh. 

Already, improvements are clear. With the help of Coach Trobaugh and her own preparation during summer, Demi cut an impressive eight minutes off her time in the same opening race compared to last season.  

Looking ahead, Trobaugh’s goals extend beyond race times. “I really hope that each runner, individually, is going to achieve their version of success,” she said. “A goal that I always have is to keep my runners healthy and uninjured, which sometimes can be challenging.”  

To meet that challenge, the team has adjusted its training. Instead of starting the year with higher mileage, the runners are focusing more on strength training and intentional warmups.  

Athletes on the team are noticing the benefits of these changes. Angelina Wu (’28), who joined cross country to test herself and build strength, said she appreciates both the training and the atmosphere. 

 “I think my endurance is kind of good, and I wanted to kind of use that ‘strength,’” she said.  

Her biggest goal is “to see noticeable improvement from the start of the season.” Despite shin splints early on, Angela has enjoyed the experience, with Catalina as her favorite race so far.  

Though a few runners have faced the usual early season challenges with health, with steady improvement and team spirit as guiding principles, the girls’ cross-country team is working hard to make this fall one of its strongest seasons yet.   

The team celebrates after Kate Cook (‘27) gets a point for the team, marking the first of many wins for the girls’ volleyball team. Though losing many talented players last year, the team is learning how to adapt quickly. With their impressive 16-2 record (8-0 in league) the girls have clearly found their balance.  

“Team chemistry this year is high,” said Keeley Cheung (‘28). “On and off the court, we’re not just teammates, but also friends.” 

 With team chemistry higher than ever, they show their spirit through matching outfits on game days, meals together, and team bonding. After every morning practice, day students pile into boarding students’ rooms to get ready together. Loud music, lively conversations, and awkwardly fitting into one person’s dorm is the girl’s idea of a perfect post-morning practice.
 

“The girls have had a strong start, and are continuing to grow, getting closer and more competitive,” said Sahara Martinez, varsity head coach.  

The team’s goals are to find values that align with their team’s goal for making CIF, which involves hard work, trust, and discipline. With an overall record of 16-2 and 8-0 in league, Webb Gauls are looking formidable going into the CIF playoffs.  

Are you watching a group of friends playing sports together or as a team? There is no difference when it comes to Webb’s boys’ water polo team.  It’s not the luck of the roster; the team itself prioritizes hard work, genuine friendship, and respect for one another. With a 16-11 record, their success is the result of their hard work in morning practices, tournaments, and conditioning in the gym. Yet, team bonding is what makes their dynamic so special. 

“Every single one of us enjoys hanging out with one another. “We enjoy the people that we are,” said Jonathan Lee (‘27), varsity water polo guard. We just like to work hard together and practice.”  

With the team steadily improving each day, the boys also do team bonding such as beach days, team meals, and matching Halloween costumes outside of regular practice hours. However, when it comes to working hard, the team doesn’t slack.  

“I love winning games. I think that’s great, but my biggest goal is always that they leave the program as better people and better prepared for their future,” said Sawyer Belville, science department faculty and head varsity water polo coach. “I know that they’re going to go out into the world and they’re going to have good morals.” Her encouraging coaching style has helped the boys’ depth and meaning while playing.  

“We started playing as a team,” Jonathan Lee (‘27) said. “We were playing selflessly.”  

“The boys do a really good job of buying into the program,” said Coach Belville. “They are always sticking up for each other and have each other’s backs.”   

As the team continues to support each other through more matches ahead, Webbies will be cheering them on from the stands each time.