Alpine Skiing
Coaches: Casey Dubay (head), Amanda Pilote (assistant)
Key athletes returning: Burke Cornish (C), Isabella Rosborough, Cordelia Inman
Key matchups: Jan. 6 vs. Scarborough, Gorham, Cheverus, Bonny Eagle, Marshwood; SMAAs
Outlook: The Eagles may face a bit of a rebuilding year in 2016-17, as only Cornish, Rosborough and Inman return to the slopes this winter from last year’s squad. Luckily, those skiers “played a huge role in keeping team spirit alive and recruiting new racers to complete the team,” Dubay says. “They all made tremendous gains in their skiing last year and have potential to do well this year.” Dubay likes the Jan. 6 meet because it will give a number of Eagles their first opportunity to compete in slalom gates, and the SMAAs, which are, of course, a big-stage experience. “We have a full team of four women and four men ready to compete this year. They are all hardworking and ready to learn. They should be able to place individually in the top 20 at multiple races and have a good chance a placing as a team. It will be a fun-filled season of racing.”

Boys Basketball
Coach: Chad Pulkkinen
Last year’s record: 7-11
Key players lost: Kyle Kilfoil, Zach LaCombe
Key players returning: Chris Brown (sr.), Nick Curtis (jr.), Mike Gilman (jr.), Hunter Coffin (jr.)
Key matchups: Dec. 9 vs. Deering, Dec. 13 @ Cheverus, Dec. 20 @ Oxford Hills, Jan. 24 vs. Edward Little
Outlook: Pulkkinen is excited for the coming season and holds high hopes for his boys. “We return a strong group of experienced players,” he says. “Nick Curtis and Mike Gilman are coming off two very productive years, individually.” Curtis earned Second-Team All-Conference laurels last year and led the league in assists; Gilman led the league in scoring for a long stretch last winter and nailed a ridiculous 70 three-pointers in 18 games. Coffin and Brown both saw time as starters last year, and are both able to defend multiple positions effectively, an asset that will be crucial for the Eagles in the competitive AA North. “Our years of experience and our ability to shoot the ball will allow us to compete at a high level,” Pulkkinen says. “Our team is eager to build on their experience and come together as a group to fight for position in AA North.” Pulkkinen selects his key matchups with that goal – jostling in the rankings firmly in mind: “These games will be key to our team not only finding out where we stand and who we are, but also to determining our place in AA North.”

Girls Basketball
Coach: Brody Artes (fifth year)
Last year’s record: 8-10
Key players lost: Sadie Nelson
Key players returning: Meghan Hoffses, Tara Flanders, Mya Mannette, Lyndsey Arsenault, Taylor Files, Kayla Gorman, Hannah Talon
Key matchups: Lewiston, Oxford Hills, Bangor, Maine Girls’ Academy, Noble, Sanford, Massabesic
Outlook: Graduation took a toll on Windham in June, claiming six seniors, while a seventh important athlete from last year’s roster transferred to another school. These turns mean the Lady Eagles will be young and inexperienced overall. Only Hoffses, Mannette and Flanders return as starters for the squad, and only Mannette and Arsenault are seniors. Both have seen substantial playing time over the past couple seasons, and can be expected to ably lead Windham this winter. Files, the only junior on the team, should prove a tough competitor inside, especially on defense. The team’s nine remaining roster slots are occupied by five sophomores and four freshmen. Still, despite their comparative youth, the Lady Eagles remain “incredibly athletic,” as Artes puts it. Faced with rebuilding, this outfit may not have its best season – but it could well develop rapidly and will no doubt compete hard.

Boys Hockey (a co-op with Westbrook)
Coach: Greg Leclair (fifth season)
Last year’s record: 13-6-0; fell to Bangor in A North quarterfinals
Key players lost: Zack Callahan, Tyler Johnson, Alex LeBlanc, Gage Chenard, Greg Buotte, Alec Whalen, Jacob Coro
Key players returning: Matt Kelley (sr., F); Anthony Morrison (sr., D); Keegan Pock (jr., F); Logan Heckman (jr., D); Derek Corbett (so., F); Sean White (so., G)
Key games: Dec. 15 @ Portland/Deering; Jan. 14 @ Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse; Jan. 21 @ Massabesic/Bonny Eagle/Old Orchard Beach; Feb. 8 vs. Massabesic/Bonny Eagle/OOB
Outlook: Windham/Westbrook’s 2016-17 is up in the air, as the team’s roster is undergoing a good deal of turnover. “Graduation took a heavy toll on the program,” says Leclair. “Twelve seniors moved on at the end of the season”; these included All-Stars in Callahan, Johnson and LeBlanc. Still, another dozen players with significant playing time at the varsity level return for this season. “We’ll need to be disciplined and take care of the puck in our defensive zone,” Leclair says. “Sean White will need to perform well between the pipes for us to be successful.  Goal-scoring will need to come from a number of players, as we do not have a pure goal-scorer.  If we play to our potential, we should be in the mix for one of the final playoff spots, but we’ve got our work cut out for us.” The team has taken impressive strides in recent years; fans should dutifully cross their fingers for another respectable run.

Indoor Track
Coaches: Paula Pock (boys), Mary Green (girls)
Last year’s record: Boys eighth at States, girls 16th
Key athletes returning: Jeremy Bennett (distance), Mason Rosborough (distance), Wyatt Yost (distance), Alex Wilkins (jumps/sprints), Connor Abbotoni (sprints), Sam Cole (sprints), Callean Frechette (sprints), Zach Harris (sprints), Jacob Frost (sprints), Evan Coughlin (shot put), Amanda Turner (sprints), Ling Bol (jumps), Abby Clinch (jumps), Morgan Colangelo (middle distance/distance), Erin Elder (sprints), Hailey Applebee (middle distance/distance)
Outlook: “We graduated a large part of our team and will be rebuilding this year,” says Pock of the Eagles’ boys squad. “We’re expecting our few upperclassmen to really step up and be our big point-scorers.” Bennett, Wilkins (third in the triple jump at States last year) and Coughlin (ninth at Sates last year) will lead. Among the team’s important newcomers is Nick Brackett, another shot-putter. As for the girls’ side of things, Green says: “The goal this season is to have strength in all events and the depth to match it – in which case, we’ll see some great wins … There are a lot of athletes that haven’t decided which events are going to be their focus for the season, so the first few meets will involve some trial and error until everyone finds their niche. I anticipate improvement in every athlete as we continue to dial in to the intricacies of each event, thus the key matchup is always going to be the next meet.” Overall, Green places a high premium on the sisterhood her girls have demonstrated. “There is a great sense of camaraderie among this group of girls,” she says. “They balance hard work and competition very well with fun and teamwork during practice, which is essential. There are standout athletes in every grade … Not only do we have a lot of talent, we also have tremendous numbers this season, which is going to play a huge part in our success as a team.”

Swimming and Diving
Coach: Pete Small
Last year’s record: Boys 6-2, 11th at States; girls 1-7, ninth at Southwesterns
Key athletes lost: John Giberti, Josh Labrecque, Maelah Nadeau
Key athletes returning: James Mannette, Dylan Palmer, Olivia Verrill, Elizabeth Lucas, Katheryn Lucas
Key matchups: Thornton, Massabesic
Outlook: “The boys team brings back experience and leadership in both Manette and Palmer,” Small says. “Similar to the girls, this team has a group of athletes who are seasonal swimmers. The team will need to find people to fill the slot of points won by last year’s seniors, but the addition of freshmen Aiden Day and Even Desmond are a strong step in that direction.” Of the Lady Eagles, Small says: “The girls team looks to have a good mix of leaders in Verrill and Lucas, along with a strong core of up-and-coming younger swimmers. The key for the team will be maximizing efficiency while developing speed. How far the team achieves depends on how far along the swimming spectrum everybody, especially the athletes who are new to swimming, can move. The team is looking to improve on Southwesterns last year while focusing on the day to day.” Small and Co. look forward to their early season dual meets especially, as those will allow them to gauge their place in the Conference.

Wrestling
Coaches: Jason Dryburgh (head), Eric Cash (assistant)
Key athletes returning: Sean Butterworth (sr.), Alex Jordan (sr.), Colby Valliere (sr.), DJ Pelletier (so.), Sam Dubuc (so.)
Key matchups: Dec. 14 vs. Scarborough/Westbrook/Gorham; Dec. 29-30 @ Noble Invitational
Outlook: The Eagles are young this year, with just four seniors wrestling. In contrast, the team boasts eight freshman. This bodes well for the future of the program, but suggests the 2016-17 season could be the start of a work-in-progress. “The transition from middle school to high school sports can sometimes be a hard one to gauge until they see and feel the difference in the level of competition,” Dryburgh says of his younger wrestlers. On the upside, even his freshman have experience: “We know once they get their feet wet, win or lose, they are going to evolve very quickly, as the majority of our team has some experience within the wrestling program here in Windham,” he says. “As they get through the season we feel confident they will start to compete and contend at a greater level.” Dryburgh sees each matchup as critical in the team’s development, but looks to the threeway meet with Scarborough and Westbrook/Gorham as a “good barometer of where we are in our first week of the season” and the Noble Invitational as a “great measuring tool for the underclassmen to see some of the State’s top wrestlers/teams.”

Cheering
Coach Jamie Gaudreau could not be reached.

Meghan Hoffses drives to the net in a game at Bonny Eagle last winter.

Keegan Pock returns as a junior for the Windham/Westbrook boys hockey outfit this winter.

Windhamite Logan Heckman returns to the ice as a junior this winter.