Winter has arrived, and temperatures are dropping, but for varsity winter sports teams, especially the captains, there’s no time to get cozy — the season has only just begun. 

From the pool to the field to the court, captains carry the duties of uplifting teammates, setting the tone in practices and games, and maintaining the culture of Bishop’s athletics through the wins and losses of the season.

Girl’s Varsity Waterpolo

Girls’ Varsity Waterpolo Captains Aileen Shin (‘26), Lotte Lightner (‘26), and Katie Johnson (‘26) emphasized the importance not only of the consistent effort that goes into practices and games, but also of the sisterhood that the team has built.

“We just treat everyone like sisters, we get at it, we fight in the pool, but in the end we all genuinely love each other… we truly are a family,” Aileen explained. 

“I think the biggest part [of being a captain] is being a role model for all the younger athletes, especially the freshmen who are new to high school and have a lot of questions,” Lotte added.

 This sisterhood, headed by the senior captains , allows the team to go 110% in practice every day, even when practices get rough. Aileen remarked, “it might be a hard practice, and we’re suffering, but we’re doing it together.”

The team never leaves anyone behind either. Lotte explained that during a timeout, a play will be drawn up for the group that’s in the pool. But then the play will also be taught to everyone else because they’ll eventually need it as well. 

“We really make sure everyone stays on the same page and feels solid in their understanding of what we’re doing,” Katie added.

Their ultimate goal this season is to win the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) championship in February. And the three senior players will continue to set examples for their underclassmen, helping the team grow inside and outside the pool each and every day.

Boy’s Varsity Basketball

The Boy’s Varsity Basketball Captains Romeo Wright (‘26) and Zack Chen (‘26) reflected on the camaraderie that has come with basketball and their gratitude to be able to play every day.

“I found some of my best friends in life on the basketball court, whether in China,New York or in San Diego, and I really cherish our friendship, developing on the court, and making each other better every single day,” Zack explained. Along with helping those around him improve, Zack has a goal of being the best version of himself everyday.

Romeo stated, “This isn’t gonna last forever, so you may as well give it all you’ve got… we gotta approach every day like it’s our last, and like Coach Hill says, #Blessed.” 

He added, “Being able to go out there, compete, and show off the work I’ve put in… being part of a team with a group of guys I like, I feel really blessed.”

As captains, they also want to uphold the culture and standards of Bishop’s basketball: bringing high energy to the team no matter what, celebrating everything with fives and fists, and working with 110% effort on a daily basis.

“You win some, you lose some… It really depends on how you respond to adversity. Being the senior captain and helping the team hold on to those standards is a big goal,” Zack concluded.

Boy’s Varsity Soccer

Reinstating the program’s culture is also a notable objective for the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Captains Connor Gutierrez (‘26) and Gustav Westlake (‘26). They explained that since their freshman year, in which the team won Division III CIFs, the program’s performance has been in decline. 

Gustav explained, “For a while there’s been this kind of lackadaisical vibe around the team, like people not practicing very intensely or going light on lifts.” But as one of the captains, he noted: “We want to change that. And turn this into a competitive team as it should be.” Connor expressed it as “[re-righting] the ship.” 

Additionally, Connor remarked, “[We want to] get things back under control, and reinforce some key traits we want our boys to demonstrate in practices and in games… hard work, commitment, and also taking the sport seriously.”

“We see [being captains] as an opportunity to help those who are either new to the team or new to the sport, as well as those who are very experienced, fit the dynamic of our team and continue to work and push themselves,” Gustav added

Winning is also a huge goal for the team: “I think we are capable of getting another [CIF title]. But it’s going to depend on how hard we work and how hard we want it,” Connor said. 

He concluded: “I’m going to do whatever I can to push myself and those around me to achieve as much as we can.”

Girl’s Varsity Soccer

The theme of “winning” seems to resonate with the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team. In fact, Captains Ayanna Hickey (‘26), Cece Jeffery (‘27), and Sophia Victor (‘28) decided that it was their main goal this year: “Win league, win CIFs, win everything, beat La Jolla High, just win,” they remarked as a group, adding one aspiration after another.

But like the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team, the program has been driving on a “rocky road” in the past three years. The team’s record 2 years ago was 0-13-2 (zero wins, 13 losses, two ties), so re-establishing the team’s culture is crucial to them. 

A big part of this is keeping a positive attitude: “I feel like a big part of [being captain] is uplifting the team, especially after our past seasons,” Ayanna noted. “But this season, hopefully it’s going to be a lot better, and we won’t need to do as much uplifting,” she added.

Sophia expressed her ambitions of scoring more goals this season. Because of the younger team, with a decent number of freshmen starting, she explained that “scoring gives reassurance, and creates a cushion for mistakes.” Ayanna added, “I think it’s important to integrate [the freshmen] into the team and show them how we play.”

As Cece summarized: “I think just carrying on that legacy and being even better… We have three solid captains this year, who will really help our program and change the culture.”

Girl’s Varsity Basketball

The Girls’ Varsity Basketball team is captained by Ayla Johnson (‘26), Margo Leong (‘27), and Kamaili Lei Lasua (‘27). 

Ayla expressed captainship as “being the glue that holds the team together when [they] face adversity, injuries, fatigue, tough competition, etc.” She highlighted the importance of helping the team stay composed and bringing energy to every practice and every game to really set the tone: “I try to lead by example and be the loudest one on the court.”

Margo placed less emphasis on the title of captain, but more on the responsibilities: “I think it’s easy to be caught up in the politics of who is captain and who is not, but at the end of the day, it is the person who can rise above adversity when playing a hard team or facing mental difficulties.” Like Ayla, she also pointed out the importance of leading the team and bringing energy, noting that the title itself hasn’t changed her approach to leadership. It only formalized the role she was already playing.

Kamaili highlighted the desire to win the Division I CIF championship this year, after making it to the finals last year but coming up just short. She believes this year the team can reach the championship again, especially with more positive team dynamics, which she has already seen beginning to flourish. 

As captain, Kamaili wants to be a role model on and off the court: “I hope as captain that I can be someone [others] can turn to if they ever need anything and know that I care for them.”

Even though the season has just begun, captains have already put their leadership on display and set the tone. Through tough practices and competitive games, they’ve kept team spirits high and teammates locked in day after day. With clear goals and committed captains leading the way, Bishop’s teams are set up for success. Go Knights!