Sports Season 2024-25 Wrap Up
As the 2024-2025 school year comes to a close, let’s recap the incredible Middle School sports seasons! And please check out the photo album with highlights from each sport this year.
You can also read a version of this article in the Alameda Post!
The school year kicked off with Coed Volleyball where both of Lincoln’s teams went undefeated in the regular season and although Academy of Alameda and Encinal gave their D2 and D1 teams a run for their money, it was ultimately Lincoln that came out on top!
Then it was time for some Girls Basketball, a thrilling season that culminated in some competitive final matches. In our DI division, Academy of Alameda competed with gusto and managed to beat out Wood for a spot in the Championships. Although Lincoln ended up taking the win in the DI division, Wood’s DII team managed to beat Lincoln’s previously undefeated team which made for very exciting Championship matches.
On to Boy’s Basketball after that, where another exciting season saw Wood stake their claim as the winners in both DI and DII. The DII Championship game was very close, Lincoln put up quite a fight but Wood managed to snag out the win with a final score of 36-34.
The school year wrapped up with Track & Field where over 300 students from all six middle schools came out to compete! Athletes had the opportunity to run sprints and distance events as well as compete in field events such as mini javelin, shot put, and long jump. It was a competitive season and every school site had at least one athlete that medaled. A special thanks to our volunteers who helped support our meets and ensured a successful season for all - we could not have done it without you!
AEF's Middle School Sports program continues to foster a positive environment for students to grow and learn important life skills like good sportsmanship, maintaining a positive attitude even if the outcome is not what they wanted, and developing leadership abilities. One 8th grade athlete shared that his time playing basketball this year, “[made him] a better leader.” And one coach shared that an unlikely student took on the mantle of leader for his team stating, “One of [my] shyest students became a starter and a leader this year!”. This program helps to bring students out of their comfort zone and develop friendships for years to come.
Many coaches note this about the program sharing that athletes became friends off the court/field and students that have previously not been as social came out of their shell and found their joy with one coach adding, “being part of the team improved [an athlete’s] emotional and mental health.” The power of the sports program extends its reach into academics and overall behavior improvements as well, with over 250 athletes improving their grades or participating in academic programs this year to remain eligible for their team AND 200 of our student-athletes improved behavior and school performance – including attendance – as a result of participation in our program. One coach shared, “[an athlete] was able to pull up his grades across the board and his teachers reported he was more respectful in his interactions with them.” Another coach added, “one of my students got his GPA above a 3.0 and had zero behavior issues during the season.”
We are so proud of all our student-athletes for all their hard work and dedication this year! Thank you to our coaches, volunteers, and families for helping us to ensure a positive and successful year of sports and we can’t wait to see you all back next year!