MSJ 2025-26 Winter Sports Recap

By Staff Writers Leland Yu, Andy Zhang, & Aaqib Zishan

Boys Basketball

In the most triumphant season in program history, MSJ Boys Basketball had a remarkable 2025-26 season, finishing with a 16-10 overall and 9-5 in league record before catching fire in the post-season, riding a nine-game win streak to capture their first-ever NCS championship and surging through to the CIF NorCal Regional Finals. “I think the team has improved tremendously from the start of the season,” Co-Captain Senior Joseph Standfield said. “We looked pretty horrible but it’s looked a lot better over the course of the season, and I think we’ve played some of the best basketball ever.”

The team made history as the first Fremont team to win the NCS championship, claiming the first and only basketball NCS banner, which now hangs in the gym. Furthermore, to cap off a historic season, Co-Captain Senior Brandon White was named Winter Athlete of the Season, while Standfield earned the Mercury News Athlete of the Week. While being a school prized for its stellar academics, Boys Basketball’s landmark season has put the school’s sports program in the spotlight. “Before [this season], I was considering transferring. But my dad motivated me [to] change the identity of Mission — to change the team. And I think as a collective, we’ve all done that,” Standfield said.

Girls Basketball 

Girls Basketball pushed their way through the NCS Championships this season and surpassed expectations they set for themselves at the start of the season. In earlier years, the team often lost in the first round of the NCS Championships, but this year, they managed to advance deeper into the tournament. 

“I think our first NCS game was really memorable because we were predicted to lose since we were ranked lower than the other team, but then we made it to overtime, and we also beat them by three, and that helped us push to the next round,” Captain Senior Stephanie Yu said. 

At the start of the season, the team placed significant pressure on themselves, especially due to special physical requirements, such as a requirement to run two miles under 18 minutes. However, by persevering through the physical and mental obstacles, including the West Coast Jamboree Tournament, the team found their fuel. Looking forward, Girls Basketball aims to improve their record further while improving their chemistry and skills. Looking forward, Yu hopes that the team will follow her advice and continue to build on this progress while integrating new players into the team.“[Everyone should] work hard, even on the off season, even if you think that it won’t help you, I think it definitely will, and just play every game to your best ability,” Yu said.

Boys Soccer 

Following the departure of nine crucial seniors, Boys Soccer committed themselves to a season of rebuilding with a new coach and a young team. Because players range from experienced club athletes to those who have taken a break from competitive soccer, the team struggled to find a common ground at first. But through practices and different starting lineups, they improved both on the field and in team chemistry. 

Due to numerous injuries throughout the season, Head Coach Ryan Teo plans to assess players’ fitness levels before tryouts in order to gain a stronger understanding of the team’s needs for success. With a 1-14-1 record, one of the most memorable moments from the season included a trailing victory against Irvington. Warriors came back from a 1-0 lead, securing the win with goals from Freshman Caeden MacKenzie and Senior Nathan Huffman. “It stood out. I felt like it was our best game as a team. Everyone gave their 100%, and we got the result that we wanted,” Senior Co-Captain Himank Gangwal said. 

Girls Soccer 

With the addition of seven new freshman players on Girls Soccer, the team is rebuilding themselves for a steady future. In the 2024-25 season, the team ceded 122 goals, so coaches and players focused on tightening the defense this season while also improving the offense. With these changes, the team scored more goals and ceded less goals with 54. 

Despite facing challenges like scheduling conflicts with academics, the team pushed through, as Co-Captain Senior Ima Nissler took the freshman players under her wing and helped them develop. “[Ima] had a nice approach of just leading by example, showing up on time, working hard, never complaining, and I think she really carried us through,” said Coach Bob Haigler. 

Looking forward, the team aims to retain their current talent and move onto the next season with lots of momentum supplied by their group of freshmen. 

“[The freshmen], as a group, changed the whole tone of  the season. They had a great work ethic and were the leaders of the team, and they were kind of carrying the game and keeping us in it,” Haigler said.

Wrestling 

Boys Wrestling finished the season under new oversight from first-time head coach Ahmed Alwan, who navigated a small team to new heights, with the girls program developing alongside them. Faced with numerous injuries and demotivated wrestlers, athletes stayed on track by sharpening their team’s mentality and learning from their mistakes in hopes of coming back stronger next season. 

Despite their struggles, the program improved significantly as compared to last year, with novice wrestlers such as Sophomore Jaden Lee filling in the gaps of past seniors. Lee played a significant role in helping the team compete and bring recognition to the program. “Jaden really put us on the map with two victories in JV tournaments,” Alwan said.

Alwan plans to utilize the off-season to recruit new players to become a healthier, more competitive team the following year. “My goal, generally, is to fix our mentality. Because of a lot of [the team does not] struggle with technique. They struggle with retaining technique during the matches and being nervous during the matches,” Alwan said. 

Girls Wrestling faced a turbulent season, beginning with a promising number of athletes before shrinking to just four competitors left. Despite the smaller roster, the program showed improvements from the year before, with Captain Athena Cheng emerging as a standout performer, placing at multiple tournaments to lead the team.