WORCESTER—Worcester’s student-athletes and coaches enjoyed a year of notable triumphs and record-breaking accomplishments in 2025.
From a coaching promotion to a nationally prominent college football program to unforgettable performances on local basketball and volleyball courts, the last 12 months have been marked by these impressive athletic feats.
Although the amateur sports scene in Worcester produced numerous successes this year, the following athletes, coaches and teams rose to the top when it came to selecting the best of the best for 2025.
Sports moment of the Year: Bob Chesney named head coach at UCLA
Bob Chesney, the former football coach at both the College of the Holy Cross and Assumption University, grabbed national headlines from coast to coast when he was introduced as the new head coach at UCLA on December 9. Chesney’s teams in Worcester won 70 percent (88 of 125) of their games through 11 seasons. He was named Patriot League Coach of the Year three times and Northeast-10 Coach of the Year twice. Chesney inherits a struggling Bruins team at UCLA that finished just 3-9 overall this fall and 3-6 in the Big Ten. During the 2025 season he led James Madison to a 12-2 overall record and a Sun Belt Conference championship. The Dukes advanced to the 2025 College Football Playoff but fell at No. 5 seed Oregon in the opening round. He was named the 2025 Sun Belt Coach of the Year.
Male athlete of the year: Jamel Walker, Doherty High School, boys basketball
Jamel Walker was the best player on the best high school boys basketball team in the city during the 2024-25 season. He led the Highlanders (18-5) to an Inter High championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the Division 2 state tournament. The tournament run marked the furthest Doherty has advanced in more than 20 years. Walker averaged 20 points per game while collecting seven rebounds and six assists per contest. He reached the 1,000 point milestone for his career in a win at Wachusett on February 11. Now a freshman at Salem State University, Walker leads his team in scoring (16.2 points per game) through 11 games played.
Female athlete of the year: Bella Mara, Saint Paul, softball/field hockey
Bella Mara was once again one of the best two-way softball players in Central Mass when it came to pitching and hitting in 2025. Mara dominated as a pitcher, recording a 0.96 earned run average while striking out 237 batters in 144 innings. Her batting average of .579 was the fifth-highest in the region. She helped lead Saint Paul (15-5) to the quarterfinals of the Division 1 state tournament where the Knights fell to Wachusett. Mara was also a standout player for the field hockey team at Saint Paul. She is now a freshman at Assumption University where she is a member of the softball team.
Male coach of the year: Scott Faucher, Assumption University, men’s basketball
Scott Faucher led the Assumption men’s basketball team to an NCAA Regional Championship for the first time in 50 years in 2025. The Greyhounds (22-10) advanced all the way to the Division 2 NCAA Elite Eight where they fell to eventual national champion Nova Southeastern University in March. The 22 wins are the most for Assumption in a season since the 2008-09 campaign. Faucher now has 78 wins at Assumption in five seasons, an average of more than 15 wins per year. Before Assumption, he previously coached at Nichols College where he guided the Bison to a 28-3 record and a trip to the Division 3 Elite Eight in 2018-19.
Female coach of the year: Donna Coonan, Notre Dame Academy, volleyball
A 30-year veteran of coaching volleyball, Donna Coonan guided Notre Dame Academy to its most successful season in program history this fall. The Rebels went 18-2 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the Central Mass League. The 18 wins set a school-record for Notre Dame, where volleyball was added as an athletic offering just six years ago in 2019. The Rebels advanced to the second round of the Division 3 state tournament but fell 3-0 to eventual state champion Bellingham. Coonan is no stranger to taking teams to the state tournament. Before coming to Notre Dame, she led Sutton to two consecutive Central Mass titles in 2013 and 2014.
In both of those seasons, the Suzies fell in the state semifinals.
Male team of the year: Assumption University men’s basketball
The Assumption men’s basketball team turned in a historic season in 2024-25, winning 22 games and advancing to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Division 2 Tournament. The Greyhounds won an NCAA Regional Championship for the first time in 50 years. Njavan Stewart (11,6 points per game), Daouda Dembele (11.0 points per game) and Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton (10.2 points per game) all averaged double-figures in scoring for Assumption’s potent offense. The Greyhounds were picked to finish tenth in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches poll, but finished the season strong to be one of the last remaining eight teams in all of Division 2. The team also earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for completing the academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Female team of the year: Notre Dame Academy, volleyball
The Notre Dame Academy volleyball team won a school-record 18 games this season and advanced to the second round of the Division 3 state tournament. The Rebels also went undefeated in eight Central Mass League matches. Notre Dame opened the season with 14 consecutive victories, outscoring its opponents 39-6 during that span. For the season, Notre Dame won 51 out of 62 total sets. Leading the way for the Rebels were tri-captains Abigial Ives, Charlotte Ives and Addison Cutting. With 90 service aces, Cutting ranked third among all
Division 3 teams in the state. She also reached a milestone this fall with 500 career digs, 299 of which came this season to rank as the twelfth highest total in Division 3. Phoebe Doyle led the league with 195 kills while teammate Dana Howling Wolf Keller finished first with 199 assists.
Youth team of the year: 12U Worcester Cowboys
The 12U Worcester Cowboys finished fourth in the country at the American Youth Football National Championships held earlier this month at the Paradise Sports Complex in Naples, Florida. During the regular season, the Cowboys posted a perfect 12-0 record on their way to claiming the New England Regional Division 2 championship.
This team of 12 and 13 year-olds had previously made it to the state championship four years in a row, but hadn’t been able to cash in on a title until this season. In the national tournament, the Cowboys competed against teams from California, West Virginia and Ohio, winning one of three games. The team plays in the Connecticut Youth Football Conference during the regular season.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
