Chasing excellence: WHS winter season top performers and leaders

By Maya Fanelli '26 and Zach Morytko '26 

Whether at Newington Arena or SDMS, the Wethersfield High School Athletic Department has celebrated a variety of wins this winter sports season across multiple teams. From ice hockey to gymnastics, many athletes have stood out among the rest by making a significant impact, helping their teams land in the winning column. 

Wethersfield seniors Gabby Gerardi and Lily Provost, and junior Nathan Rydecki are prime examples of athletes who have gone above and beyond to stand out among the rest while still leading the team behind them. 

In her 4 years as a member of the WHS Varsity Girls’ Gymnastics Team, Gabby Gerardi served as a captain in her upperclassmen years. She is also a two-time All-State and one-time All-New England recipient, which is a true showing of all the hard work she's put into the sport she's been participating in since the age of five. 

The senior, who captained her team along with Katherine Freitas, said, “Being a captain means being a good role model and being someone that everybody feels like they can go to for anything.” She said being a second-year captain helped her understand how to approach problems while still being someone her teammates felt comfortable talking to. “I realized that being responsible and taking more of a leadership role doesn’t have to feel like I am being mean,” said Gerardi. 

While leaving judges impressed with her advanced skills, one of her top priorities this season, besides focusing on her individual competition, was fostering a team environment.

The WHS Gymnastics program consists of nine girls who all compete separately from one another. When asked how the team environment is kept in and out of the gym, Gerardi said, “We all are always cheering for and supporting each other during competitions. We all get excited for each other because you know how it feels to get a new skill, or make your routine. We see each other every day and because it is such a small team, we all are very close. Even outside of practice we are together all the time, whether it is at pasta dinners, brunches, or just driving around.”

She will be a noticeable loss for the gymnastics team next season, considering she consistently ranked among the top gymnasts in the New England region. She plans to continue her athletic career in college because, as she stated “I just can’t picture my life without gymnastics. Seeing the results at meets and making it to New England's for high school, and regionals for clubs also makes me see that all the work does pay off.”

Lily Provost, a four-year varsity player for the WHS Girls’ Basketball Team, put up impressive stats this season, averaging 6.5 points a game with a 8-12-0 team record. She also held a very important role this season, and stood alone at the top as the team's only captain and senior.

“Being the only senior on my team, I wanted to include the whole team and make sure everyone was involved in making decisions for spirit days, team bonding activities and team dinners. Our team also worked together to create playlists for game days and bus rides. Also being the only senior, I wanted to make sure that everyone had rides and was included in outings to places like Panera or Dunkin. My younger sister Sarah is also on the team, so it was so fun to be able to play with her, and have a connection with the other freshmen. Overall our team had a great bond and we all supported each other throughout the whole season.”

Provost described the group not just as a team, but rather a family, which is the constant they led with this season 
 
Going from having a freshman, junior-varsity, and varsity team last season, to just a combined junior-varsity and varsity team this season wasn't easy, but everyone knew their roles and they all came together when the time was right.

On the court, Provost is described as a “true competitor" and as someone who “holds their head high with lots of respect for her opponents and the game itself.”

She never got down on her teammates when making a mistake or challenged the refs when she didn't agree with the call. Instead, she took a deep breath and never gave up. 

She has an immense amount of respect for the game in the sense that she knows “the only way to win is through practice and not cheating the little things.”

Nathan Rydecki is the WHS Boys’ Ice Hockey team's goalie and assistant captain. In his junior year he learned the importance of being a team leader while also being one of the most sought after goalies in the state.

Being a goalie means your mistakes aren't wiped away after they happen; they show up on the scoreboard, while the other team is celebrating inches away from you. 

He said of being a goalie, “There is only one of me and it makes me stand out from everyone else. It also puts a lot of pressure on me to be locked in all minutes of the game. It definitely is hard mentally, too. Especially being a captain and having to take control over the team and hold everyone accountable, including myself.

He also said, “I'm very hard on my teammates and I definitely push them to be the best player they can be because I know everyone's potential and what they can do with that skill.”

After being told in the beginning of last season that he would not play no matter how good he was because of the two senior goalies in front of him, he used that as motivation in the off season to come back stronger, and just simply better. 

When asked what motivated him the most, Rydecki said, “I want to prove people wrong and keep working to eventually play at the collegiate level.”

He ended the season with five shutouts and passed the career milestone of 850 saves, some games facing 40+ shots. He also found himself among elite company, being named All-conference and First Team All-State. 

The Eagles ended with a 11-9-0 record this year;  five of those eleven wins ended with a score of 1-0. Rydecki noted that the team was able to get away with so many 1-0 wins because of the team chemistry. From the freshman to the seniors, they created a "we before me" culture and "definitely strived in pulling for each other."

He looks to come back even stronger for his senior season, in hopes of getting one more run at a state championship. 

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