This year already been a memorable one for Lower Moreland athletics. The fall teams ended their strong seasons with impressive postseason performances, and the same can be said for our winter teams
Fall Sports
Girls Tennis
Girls’ tennis had an amazing season, making it all the way to the PIAA Team Championships in Hershey. The team was led by captains Jenna Nikhil, Abigail Yanovitsky, and Sophia Cherepakhin, and won both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches against Danville and Quaker Valley before competing in the state finals. Although they lost a close 3–2 match, finishing as state runners-up is a huge accomplishment. Individually, freshman Khaya Lukov competed in the PIAA Singles Championship, while Natalie Chania and Abigail Yanovitsky represented the team at the PIAA 2A Doubles Championship, showing the strength of the program.
Field Hockey
The girls’ field hockey team had a very successful season this year, led by captains Roya Rosala and Mady Rossiter. In addition, Head Coach Deb Lawlor returned to LM to coach and achieved her 200th win during the course of the season. One major achievement this season was the Varsity team beating Springfield in both of their league games, which has not been done in many years. Lastly, the team made it to the first round of District playoffs against Unionville and fought hard.
Boys & Girls Cross Country
Cross Country also had a successful season this year. The girls team, led by captains Siyona Abraham and Zayna George, placed second at the District One 2A Championships, qualifying them for States on November 1st in Hershey. Junior Annie Moniz finished second at Districts and went on to place 5th in the state, helping the team finish 10th overall out of 21 schools in the AA division. On the boys side, senior Michael Hoch and junior Graham Alden qualified individually for States, with Hoch competing in the boys AA race. The boys had a great season led by captains Michael Csink, Michael Hoch, and Trey Henry.
Boys & Girls Soccer
The Girls Soccer team went 9-8-1 overall, but perhaps more importantly, the team played a full slate of JV games for the first time in program history. 14 freshmen were on the team this year, and quite a few played meaningful Varsity minutes. By virtue of a 2-0 win over Archbishop Carroll and a 0-0 tie with Gwynedd Mercy Academy, the girls earned a home game in the District playoffs for the first time since 2017. Seven LM players were named to the All-League team.Â
The Boys Soccer team got off to a red hot start this season, going 8-0 and outscoring their opponents 25-3 in those games. The team was ranked #6 in the state, regardless of classification level, at this point of the season, and they finished 12-3-2 overall. By virtue of a 9-1 league record, the boys were co-champions of the Freedom Division, an honor that they shared with Springfield. They would go on to defeat Marple Newtown and West Chester Rustin in the District playoffs, earning a berth in the District One 3A Final for the first time in program history.
Boys & Girls Golf
This year, the Golf program added a JV Head Coach, Sam Fink. The JV team played a total of nine matches. Tryout numbers were above 30, with 25 student-athletes, 10 Varsity and 15 JV, making the team, the highest number in years. Senior Sergio Leite qualified for the SOL Championships in early October.
Football
The Football started out the season with dominant wins over Vaux Big Picture High School and Samuel Fels High School by a combined score of 82-0. Three of their six wins were shutouts, and it could have been four, as they had a 50-6 win over New Hope to close out the regular season. The boys narrowly missed out on the playoffs, but the team had 43 players this year, with the expectation that 50-55 is possible next season.
Girls Volleyball
Girls Volleyball had its very first season this year! The captains were Melanie Zlotnikov, Maddie Menchhofer, and Ava Duncan. In addition, they had their first win in school history versus MaST Charter School III with a score of 3-0. We can’t wait to see what the program holds in the future!
Cheer
Our cheerleaders supported our fall sports with energy and school pride at Football games. They were led by Ava Thompson, Gabriella Miriello, Charlie Godfrey, and Olivia Michels. In addition, the team is doing competitive cheer this winter season for the second year in a row, competing at the St. Hubert Invitational and the SOL League Championships.
Winter Sports
Wrestling
The Wrestling team had great success this season under new Head Coach Tom Murt. Brody Berman, Ethan Pachman, and Matt Wuller served as captains, the team won its first match against ANC, and 4 competitors finished 3rd or higher at the SOL Boys Wrestling Championships. Ethan Pachman was the District One 2A Champion for 139 lbs., and 5 wrestlers qualified for Regionals. On the girls’ side, three wrestlers competed at the District 1/12 Championships, with Natalya Abraham competing well in particular, earning two wins.
Swimming and Diving
The Boys and Girls Swimming teams finished with regular season records of 9-2 and 8-3, respectively. The girls were led by captains Alex Gliwa, Sophia Short, and Emma O’Connell. The boys were led by captains Martin Shum, Nick Sleptsov, and Braeden Flood. At the League Championships, both teams finished 2nd behind Springfield Township HS. Martin Shum was the District One 2A Champion for the 100 Butterfly, and 13 athletes qualified for the State Championships. For the boys team, Tavion Burton, Henry Shahaj, and Justin Dunkley were top performers. At States, the Girls DMR team finished 12th overall.
Indoor Track
On December 12th, the Girls Indoor Track and Field team had three medalists in separate events: Zayna George, Kayla Barnette, and Emma Leibert. On December 29th, the team competed at the Robert J Burdenette Indoor Classic. The girls DMR consisting of Zayna George, Elizabeth Badour, Kayla Barnette, and Annie Moniz placed 1st, and were ranked 5th in the state at that time. For the boys team, Tavion Burton, Henry Shahaj, and Justin Dunkley were top performers during the course of the season in the sprint, middle distance, and throws events, respectively.
Boys & Girls Basketball
On December 5th and 6th, LM Boys Basketball hosted the inaugural Forrest Keys Memorial Tip-off Tournament, with robust attendance for all four games. The team tripled their wins from the previous season and qualified for the District playoffs, competing well with a very talented Pope John Paul II team. Nathan Fellah and Tom Maloney were chosen as All-League Selections.
The Girls Basketball team finished 12-10 overall and qualified for the District playoffs, facing off against Bishop Shanahan in the 1st Round. Highlights of the season included sweeping Cheltenham in league play and defeating Pennridge. Four players (Sydney Santora, Emma DiJoseph, Mollie Martin, and Maddie Broderick) were All-League selections.
Congrats to all of the teams and Go Lions!!
