Senior Athlete Spotlight

After a hectic year due to Covid, senior Jayla Morant and the Little Flower Cheer Team are back like they never left. Jayla has cheered at Little Flower for what would’ve been four years. However, mid sophomore year everything came to a quick halt due to Covid and junior year they weren’t able to cheer at all. “I used to dance when I was in middle school so my freshman year when I heard about cheerleading I knew I would love it because I love performing” said Jayla when asked what made her want to cheer.



In her first competition they won second place and in her second competition they won first place. “We ranked high in our competitions,” said Jayla. Dedicated and loyal to her school, sport, and studies Jayla stated that cheer does take up a lot of her time but cheer and school are her top priorities. We are glad to see you back and wish you the best in your future endeavors, Jayla!

By: Emma Fox ‘25

Throwing wasn’t always in the cards for senior Gianna Vishio. Growing up Gianna participated on a cheerleading team for 10 years, and after cheering in grade school she was thinking of continuing in high school. However, she soon realized she wanted to try something new. During her freshman fall season, Gianna decided to play golf and field hockey. Then during her sophomore year Coach Laura Moyer talked her into running.


Gianna had some cousins who ran track and field so she already knew about the sport but it didn’t peak her interest. During sophomore year, Laura told Gianna she should join the track team because “it would be fun.” Well she was right. Gianna didn’t like to run so instead she decided to throw shot put and instantly fell in love with it. It was hard at first but she eventually got the hang of it. After her first indoor season, her sophomore year was cut short because of Covid and it affected her progress with throwing. Due to not throwing she lost interest in it for a while, but as soon as her junior indoor season came around she was ready to get back at it. After coming back to the sport, she got a couple of personal bests during her last meets.



Senior year came quicker than she expected, but Gianna was ready. Vishio was elected as one of the Athletic Association Officers and she is also a part of the ambassador’s. At the beginning of the year fellow classmate Brianna Coates told Gianna to run cross country with her and although she didn’t want to run, she loved it immediately. She worked really hard and got a personal best at champs. Then indoor season came around and Gianna was a pro at shot put and could know exactly what happened if something went wrong.

By: Grace Mott ‘24

Liz Mulson, a senior transfer from Hallahan, is ready to hit it out of the park. Being an athlete all her life, Liz is ready to bring her all to her last season of high school sports. Liz began playing softball ever since the first grade for a little neighborhood rec league. Ever since she has been in love with the sport and works hard to strengthen her game every chance she gets. She is seen working hard on and off the field, as well as encouraging her teammates to do the same. Coming to a new school senior year is not an easy thing to do. However, Liz came ready to play and we can not wait to see what she has in store for us this softball season.

Along with softball, Liz has also been a part of both the Hallahan and Little Flower golf teams. She first picked up a club freshman year and has made several accomplishments since. During her time at Hallahan, Liz helped lead her team to victory in the girl's division championship twice. She then came swinging her way through her senior year season to bring Little Flower to the girl's division championship and ended up winning that as well.



Liz, a natural-born leader, was ready to bring her all her senior year. This year, she plans on leading her new softball team to the playoffs. With one more season to go, fans, teammates, and coaches are all eagerly waiting to see what she has in store.

By Kaidence McCormac

Sara Schrader has made her first and final year at Little Flower one to remember. Transferring to a new school, especially during your senior year, is something that no one wants to imagine. But, Sara came to Little Flower from Hallahan ready to take on the court.

Sara started playing volleyball six years ago. Since then, she has played on club teams and the teams at both Hallahan and Little Flower. She says that playing on these teams allowed her to meet amazing girls who taught her how to be a leader and challenge herself to get better. Even though she had a challenging year, Sara’s hard work paid off, and she received Third Team All-Catholic in the fall. Her favorite part of playing for her school is the experience of being on a team and having the type of discipline and experience that you can’t get anywhere else.



Not only is Sara an accomplished athlete, but she is also a dedicated student. She has been in honors classes all four years of high school. This year, on top of playing volleyball, she’s taking AP Calc, AP English, and Honors Spanish 4. She recently committed to Penn State University and says that continuing her volleyball career may be an option. No matter what path she chooses, Little Flower will always be here to support her!

By Casey Roberts ‘25

After about 14 years of playing soccer, senior Hailey Cantz, is finally ready to hang up her cleats. At the age of four, Hailey started playing for Philadelphia Soccer Club, PSC, and instantly fell in love with the sport. Cantz played mostly defense, but later in her career started playing midfield. She continued her soccer career playing not only for her grade school team but also her high school team.

Due to Covid Hailey missed her Junior season. It was the first season where Hailey was going to play varsity and it was a year they could have won the PCL. Although they did not play in the PCL league, Little Flower participated in non league games. But Hailey says it wasn’t the same because it did not count. Senior year came way too fast and Little Flower was back playing under the Philadelphia Catholic League. Not only was she going to be starting on varsity but she was also named as one of the captains for the season. They came out strong with some new faces, but didn’t have the season they all hoped for. Even though she was upset, Hailey was still happy to finish playing soccer with her teammates at Little Flower.



Hailey is both a leader on and off the field. She is currently one of the Athletic Association Leaders and was one of the soccer team captains. Soccer has taught Cantz a lot of different life skills. She learned to not give up, always work hard because nothing is given to you, and how to control her time between school work and soccer.

By: Grace Mott ‘24

Senior year has been everything but ordinary for Brianna Kimbrell. Aside of Covid and the stress and uncertainty it has brought all of us these last two years. Brianna was forced to make a huge and bittersweet transition in her last year of high school when her beloved Hallahan closed its doors for good. “Hallahan closing was definitely heart breaking but I am so grateful for the memories and friendships I gained”, Brianna says.

Brianna joined our sisterhood here at Little Flower in the fall and wasted no time diving right in. A three time PCL Golf Champion (two with Hallahan and one with Little Flower) talks about her love for the sport. “I started playing golf my Freshman year at Hallahan in 2019 and have played all four years. I’ve grown to have such a passion and love for golf I started to coach younger kids in golf my Sophomore year.” I had the honor to play alongside Brianna as a first year golfer and saw first hand the hard work and dedication she put into it. Being a student, an athlete, and a coach, amongst other things can be challenging however Brianna suits up and shows up making it look effortless.



Off the course, Brianna was also a part of the Respect for Life club at Hallahan as well as a Student Ambassador. Here at Little Flower, Brianna stepped up as the Swim Team manager which comes to no surprise. Brianna has demonstrated great leadership in and outside of the classroom.
Brianna says “coming to Little Flower was a hard transition at first but I am grateful to have a school that has a similar community feeling as Hallahan did.” And we are so glad she did. Brianna has a lot to offer and has truly brought so much goodness to the Little Flower community. I was able to learn a lot from her in our time on the golf course and I wish her the best in her future endeavors. We were lucky to have you, Brianna. Best of luck always!

By: Emma Fox ‘25

Maura Carberry started her soccer career at the young age of 4. She got inspired to try soccer for the first time because of her older cousin, Julia Bendotti. Maura says Julia was very talented at soccer and she hoped to be just as good and capable at playing the sport. As she continued to play soccer throughout her life, joining the Little Flower team was a no-brainer. Maura has been a part of the LF soccer team since her freshman year.


Through her freshman and sophomore years, she played outside midfield, but due to COVID, her junior season was canceled. Even though she couldn't play in the fall, that did not stop her from continuing to play in the spring. Finally, it was time to shine during her senior year, where she started playing varsity with the team. Sadly, during her season she experienced a back injury, but that didn't stop her from playing in her senior night game. She says this year was still a success and she was able to complete her goal of helping the underclassman. Not only did Maura help them on the field, but she also helped them prepare for their classes and social life.



The Little Flower soccer team has brought Maura over 30 sisters, a million memories, and absolute happiness. Her favorite memory from this year is her last game and giving her coach a hug. She says without her coach, Markos, she wouldn't be the person she is today. Maura is very grateful for the opportunity to play with such amazing players and coaches.

By Mia Wolos
 

Senior Bernadette “Bern” Soltzman was excited for her senior basketball season and was ready to make her last time on the court memorable. “The girls were really important to me”, says Bern. “They made my last season the best one yet!” Being a senior on a sports team comes with challenges, you have to set a good example for the team and be ready to lead the team in the right direction. While sports are about winning and competition, the best thing you can get out of them is a good teammate, and Bern is one of them. Competing in the Philadelphia Catholic League is very difficult and quite the challenge, but having a teammate like Bern by your side makes the game much more enjoyable and easier! Always supporting, cheering, and helping your teammates is something Bern never forgets to do.



Not only is Bernadette an amazing teammate but she is also a great role model. She has been a great guide to the underclassmen and has especially helped the freshmen feel welcome at Little Flower. She is there for you when you're upset and always knows how to make someone feel better. Bernadette truly brings the LF spirit to the games and believes in each of her teammates! Besides being on the basketball team, Bernadette is also involved in other clubs and activities. She is the lacrosse manager, a part of SGA, and a proud member of the Ms.Zolk’s, Mr.Mont's, and Ms.Martin’s quizzo club. While Bern loves to stay involved, she always knows school comes first. Her favorite subject is History and she has taken Spanish for all of her four years. She knows no matter what school is a major priority and can lead to a door of amazing opportunities!


Bernadette is a great friend, student, and teammate who is excited to see what the future for Little Flower holds and can’t wait to come back and cheer her former teammates on!

By Bridget Comas ’25

Grace Burns, a senior Hallahan transfer student, came to Little Flower ready to play. Coming to a new school is hard for many, but especially as a senior and being the only transfer student trying out for the Little Flower soccer team. Grace came into soccer and school very open minded, wanting to learn how the LF sentinels work on and off the field.

Coming into the first week of tryouts, Grace explained “trying out for Little Flower as a senior was very intimidating and I was nervous.” Grace did not allow her nerves to get to her; she came in ready to play. She was hardworking and determined from the minute she walked onto the field. Grace worked for her position wanting to prove to Markos and her teammates this is what she wants and that she has a love for the sport. Grace earned her position on the team as becoming one of the starting 11.

Grace comes to practice and games with a positive attitude every day. Having an outgoing personality, she became friends with the whole team the first day of tryouts. Grace explains that “the teammates have been nothing but supportive since I arrived.” With the loss of Hallahan affecting all the students, especially the seniors, Burns said “this is definitely not what I expected my senior season to be like.” Moving onto a new school with new teammates and unfamiliar faces, Grace fit in from day one and became a great aspect of Little Flower and the Little Flower soccer team.

By: Hailey Cantz

Olivia Zolk, senior three-sport athlete, is working harder than ever for her last ride with Little Flower. Both as a student and as an athlete, she has always been a determined and dedicated individual. During her time at LF, Olivia has participated in Field Hockey, Basketball, and Lacrosse. This year, she also picked up the role of being manager of the soccer team. Olivia’s perseverance and determination gives coaches, teammates, and fans a dependable player to put on the court or field.

As an athlete all her life, Olivia has been faced with many challenges and obstacles that she worked hard to overcome. However, no one could have prepared her for the challenge that came her sophomore year of high school, Covid-19. Playing sports through covid was definitely an adjustment for her and sadly even caused her to miss out on a lacrosse and field hockey season. Yet, Olivia would not let covid stop her. Whenever the opportunity came, she put her heart and soul into every game like it was her last.

Olivia first picked up a lacrosse stick in her elementary years and has been in love with the sport ever since. Working hard on and off the field really payed off when she started playing varsity her freshman year. Every game, coaches, teammates, and fans would watch as Olivia eagerly raced up and down the field. Olivia’s efforts continued to pay off when she earned the title of captain in her junior year. Her love for the sport grew and grew and each year she worked harder and harder. As Olivia ventures into her last season of the sport she’s loved since the fourth grade, supporters are excited to see what she has in store.

By: Kaidence McCormac