As New Athletics Director Coach Alice Lee stepped into the Westridge Athletics landscape, she was in for a real treat this 2025-2026 Fall Athletics Season, as flag football and cross country both advanced to CIF Playoffs through rapid improvement from last season. Let’s take a look at what all five teams had to show. 

Flag Football advances to CIF Playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Last year, varsity flag football came off of a strong season with an overall record of 10-6 (wins to losses) and a league record of 3–3. This year, the team improved even more with an impressive overall record of 15–7 and a league record of 6–4, guaranteeing a reserved seat for playoffs. In the first playoff game on October 21, the Tigers won 21–6 in a thrilling matchup against Windward School. However, their playoff run was cut short in the second round, where they lost 0–12 to Vasquez High School after a tough fight. 

While this season marks the second year in a row that flag football advances to playoffs, this was the first time the team advanced through automatic qualification. Last year, the Tigers qualified through an at-large bid because they did not surpass the 0.500 winning percentage in league that would have automatically qualified them. This year, however, the Tigers had a winning percentage of 0.600 in league, so they qualified automatically. 

Taking on a large role, junior Abby W. has stepped up to be quarterback after alumna Ariana Epstein ’25 graduated this past year. Seniors Adelaide C. and Mandy S., who were also recognized for honors last season, sought to mentor younger players and continue flag football’s winning streak in the future. Under new senior leadership, flag football can be projected to maintain its strength next season.

Cross country advances to CIF Playoffs for the first time since 2007.

In a historic season, cross country placed third overall in the league and automatically qualified for playoffs— the first advancement since 2007. The top three teams with the least number of points automatically advanced to playoffs, and the Tigers finished with 173 points—less than Flintridge Prep.

Despite many of the Tigers’ strongest runners graduating last year, cross country was able to continue strong into this season. Sophomore Honor M., junior Dylan S., and junior Kelly C. have been instrumental to the Tigers’ overall success, with them finishing in 14th, 20th, and 21st individually in the Prep League, respectively.

Volleyball falls short of CIF Playoffs for the second year in a row.

For the second year in a row, volleyball has fallen short to qualify for CIF postseason competition. They finished fourth in the league in a three-way tie with Rio Hondo and Chadwick. Because playoffs are reserved for the top four teams in the league, the Tigers played against both of these teams in off-league games on October 15 to decide who would advance to playoffs. Playing just one set against both teams, the Tigers won 25–21 against Rio Hondo but lost 18–25 against Chadwick, moving them down to fifth place. Despite their best efforts, their hard-fought finish was not enough to qualify. 

However, the team also won the Webb Tournament for the second time in two years. Since the tournament was founded two years ago, the Tigers have gone undefeated in the tournament’s history. To top it all off, they won the tournament without losing a single set. 

Seniors Isabel D. and Lucia F.-L., who have shown great leadership and aggressiveness on the court, are graduating this year and their instrumental impact on the team will surely be missed. However, as most of the roster is made up of juniors, the Tigers can expect to have a team with solid senior leadership next year.

Tennis fails to qualify for CIF playoffs in a nearly winless season, but individual achievements shine through.

Winning just one matchup in their entire season with a record of 1–5 overall and 0–3 in league, tennis has struggled to compete against fellow Prep League teams. Although recent alumna Jennifer Liu ’25 gave the Tigers a reason to celebrate with two Individual Prep League Championships, many teammates have struggled to catch up to such an astounding individual record.

Even though tennis may not have been successful as a team, a few players were able to advance to CIF playoffs with individual accomplishments. In singles, freshman Nikki W. advanced to Quarters while Spyglass Editor Josie S.-J. ’27 advanced to the First Round. In doubles, senior Emerson F. and junior Shania W. advanced to Quarters, and senior Whitley L. and freshman Emma C. advanced to the First Round. To top it all off, double partners Shania and Emerson were also named on the Prep League All-League Second Team.

Golf misses out on another Prep League Championship for the second year in a row.

Two years ago, golf was going through a prime time of Prep League Championships, winning five championships in a row. Last year, the Tigers lost that winning streak and have continued to miss out on the championship this season. This season, the Tigers lost both times to Chadwick. As a result, they were not ranked first in the league, but were very close, as they could have clinched the championship if they had won against them just once. However, the Tigers won against every other team that they played against, including winning twice against Mayfield with scores of 230–253 and 237–245. 

Despite just missing the Championship title, there were still many standout talents. Four athletes, freshman Sara K., freshman Kaitlyn W., sophomore Yuna W., and senior Celina L. represented the team at Prep League Finals, where they clinched the second seed. With many young, talented players on the team, namely Kaitlyn, Sara, and Yuna, Westridge can still be hopeful for golf’s success in the upcoming seasons.