A season full of notable accomplishments for the Bishop O’Connell Knights culminated in winning the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) baseball tournament for the first time in 25 years.
The second seed won the tournament with a 5-1 record, clinching the crown by defeating the top seed St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers in the deciding contest of a three-game championship series played at the University of Maryland.
As anticipated, the championship game of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls softball tournament was a close contest.
Top seed St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers battled it out with second-seeded and four-time defending champion Bishop O’Connell Knights. During the regular season, the high-school rivals had split two low-scoring, one-run games, the first in extra innings.
A number of local high-school teams recently warmed up for postseason track-and-field competition by participating in regional events.
Among them were the Bishop O’Connell Knights boys and girls units. Each had strong performances at the 43rd annual multi-team Draper Invitational at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria on May 1-2.
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.
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.
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.
The finish to the 2025-26 boys basketball campaign was very familiar to the Bishop O’Connell Knights.
Like a year ago, the high-school team enjoyed lofty rankings in various polls, compiled the same overall 23-10 record and defeated scads of top teams while playing a very difficult schedule.
With strong performances in running and field events, the Yorktown Patriots and Wakefield Warriors, respectively, won the girls and boys team championships at this season’s annual Arlington County indoor track-and-field meet.
Each high-school team won by tight margins at the Thomas Jefferson Community & Fitness Center — the Yorktown girls by just two points with 65 over the Washington-Liberty Generals, and the Wakefield boys by six points with 72 over W-L.
In keeping with longstanding tradition, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are enjoying a strong winter season in girls and boys swimming and diving.
In the busy high-school squad’s past three meets, the girls and boys each won a significant championship, with solid finishes in the other two.
A 12-3 overall record against difficult competition has led to a national ranking for the Bishop O’Connell Knights boys basketball team.
The private-school team was ranked 15th in the most recent national poll by MaxPreps, and second in Virginia. Some of O’Connell’s opponents are or have been ranked nationally, as well.
