With the winter sports season coming to an end, it’s time to look ahead to the warm weather and spring sports. In this article, we will be highlighting boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse and boys tennis.

Boys Tennis

Led by senior captain Jonathan Zhang and junior captain Noah Malkin, Wayland boys tennis is looking to improve on a very successful season last year. The team fell short after losing to Winchester in the state tournament last season.

Malkin was recently named one of the two captains of the boys tennis team for this season. He was a doubles player on varsity last season and has no intention of slowing down.

“I’m honored to represent Wayland High School tennis and excited for the new season,” Malkin said. “It is also good to know that the captains last year trusted me to lead the team this year.”

The team lost a couple of seniors from last season who were key pieces to Wayland’s puzzle.

“Noah Lee’s leadership made the team much closer and better,” Malkin said. “My doubles partner Matias Salama was also awesome last season, with us winning almost all of our matches. Our chemistry last year was great, and it will hurt to not see him out there this season.”

Girls Lacrosse

With many obstacles in their way such as a shorter season and an altered season starting point, the girls lacrosse team managed to persevere and were very competitive last spring.

One of the main players on the team is junior Cat Taxiarchis, who was a bright spot for the team last season. She expresses that she has big goals for both herself and her team.

“We want to work well together, play smart, remain positive and end in a great result,” Taxiarchis said. “I believe we can make it deep into the playoffs and truly have a chance at winning a state championship. I also want to give my 100% every single minute of the game. To me, giving up isn’t an option this year.”

Taxiarchis recently announced her commitment to Franklin and Marshall College which has been her dream since she was little.

“I’ve been wanting to play college lacrosse ever since I was a young kid,” Taxiarchis said. “After a long and stressful recruitment process on top of a stressful junior year, it feels great to have committed to a top school.”

But lacrosse isn’t the only reason Taxiarchis chose F&M. She feels that they had a very special program to offer.

“Knowing that I’ll get to do ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] as well as play the sport I love is just the cherry on top,” Taxiarchis said.

Boys Lacrosse

The boys lacrosse team is looking to build on their successful spring campaign last year. Their tough and fast-paced style of play took opposing teams by surprise, and they truly played to their strengths.

One strength of theirs that may be hard to replicate was Will Munroe, who is currently a freshman at Middlebury College.

“He was our team MVP [most valuable player] last year and losing someone who was so good at face-offs will hurt us this year,” senior Ryan MacDonald said. “However, I have full trust in our team to step up and fill that spot.”

Likely, this season will have no COVID-19 restrictions. Last year, coronavirus restrictions were lifted halfway through the season and the year prior, spring sports were canceled.

“We can have team dinners and banquets to boost team chemistry which we missed out on last year due to COVID-19,” MacDonald said.

The Wayland Warriors express that they are fired up and ready to start this next season.

“I really think we’re gonna be a scary team this year,” MacDonald said.