When no one else stepped forward to fill the void, years ago John Mingus made a one-season commitment to coach his young daughter’s Arlington Soccer Association recreation girls team.
Now, 25 years later, Mingus, 59, is still coaching recreation soccer teams in the league.
With warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine, the weather cooperated with ideal baseball conditions for Arlington Little League’s big anniversary event.
At the traditional Barcroft Park multi-field venue, the league held its opening-day ceremonies to mark its 40th anniversary the afternoon of Sunday, April 12.
Numerous Arlington athletes were represented on public and private “all-state” high school teams for success in the winter season.
In basketball on the public-school level, there was one Arlington player each chosen for girls and boys Virginia High School League Class 6 all-state teams. That hasn’t happened frequently over the years.
As has been the case for many years under head coach Hannah Davis, the Yorktown Patriots have started a girls soccer season strong.
Through five high-school contests this spring, the Patriots own a perfect 5-0 mark, including shutouts in their first three games. The latest victories were 2-1 over the host Robinson Rams on April 6, then 4-1 against the Chantilly Chargers the next night.
Two of four Arlington teams competing in the Northern Virginia Swimming League will compete in new divisions this summer.
The biggest change involves the Donaldson Run Thunderbolts. After competing in the league’s highest Division 1 the past six years, the team drops to Division 3 for the upcoming summer campaign after finishing 0-5 in Division 1 last year.
Multiple blowout victories have made the start to the 2026 high-school baseball season uniquely significant for the Bishop O’Connell Knights this spring.
The private-school squad, led by a number of players who have committed to play the sport at Division I colleges, hasn’t opened a season with so many lopsided wins in many years.
Athletes for the Wakefield Warriors boys and Washington-Liberty girls track-and-field teams endured cold and wind during an early-season outdoor meet to win the Arlington County championships.
The high-school meet took place March 28 at Bishop O’Connell in weather conditions more suitable for the winter’s indoor season.
The Bishop O’Connell Knights girls softball team has had dozens of talented pitchers in its storied past. Yet none achieved what right-hander Annie Van Dyck accomplished during a recent extra-inning game.
In that 11-inning high-school contest against host St. Paul VI Catholic, the junior struck out 28 batters in 10 1/3 innings of work in a 4-3 walkoff loss.
It’s nearly impossible to miss seeing UConn star Azzi Fudd when tuning in for March Madness, as she’s all over TV commercials and social media.
“Really fortunate to have done some really amazing and fun deals and have some great partnerships,” Fudd said in a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. “I’m super excited to see everything just start to roll out. It’s going to be crazy to see everything I’ve done. I feel like a lot of things are being posted now.”
Much had changed in four years, yet Brian Weiser found himself in a very similar situation during a recent men’s college basketball game.
The former Washington-Liberty Generals high-school standout is now a 6-foot-3 backup junior guard/forward and defensive specialist for the Division III Christopher Newport University Captains.
A couple of top-five finishes and a notable performance by a freshman highlighted Arlington participation in the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 boys state wrestling tournament.
Fifth-place finishers in Virginia Beach were junior Anthony Morales at 175 pounds for the Wakefield Warriors and senior Zachary Capps at 150 for the Washington-Liberty Generals. Each finished with 4-2 records at the state tourney, with a technical fall and pin among their victories.
Last spring’s postseason results were the most successful ever in the same season for Arlington’s high-school varsity soccer teams.
Of those six public-school squads, three played in region-tournament championship matches — one winning a title — and all three advanced to Class 6 state tournaments.
