Having four goals and two assists in last week’s game against Lakeville isn’t anything new for D1 commit Molly Moynihan. Moynihan is the second-leading scorer for the Apple Valley Girls Lacrosse team with 34 goals and a very vital player on both the offense and defensive ends of the field.

Molly has been playing lacrosse for seven years and can attribute her interest in sports early on to her parents’ influence. She states “My family has always been super athletic. My dad was a swimmer in college and my mom played sports all throughout high school. My brother [junior Max Moynihan] and sister [Concordia lacrosse player Katie Moynihan] are also very involved.”

Molly has lettered in basketball every year since 9th grade, and lettered in lacrosse and cross country since 8th. She says that sports have had a major influence in her everyday life and have “helped with having a sense of teamwork and learning how to collaborate and work with different personalities.” Being a multi-sport athlete has made Molly very well rounded, says fellow teammate and lacrosse captain, Reagan Roelofs. “Molly has unbeatable speed from cross country and dodging skills from basketball that make her an unbelievable lacrosse player.”

Moynihan says that her sports mentor is her lacrosse coach, Alex Ross, who has given her a lot of advice “especially in high school, in the recruiting process, and helping me to nurture my passion for lacrosse.” She achieved these honors, Ross explains, because “Molly is a huge threat because of her work ethic. She is a gifted runner and athlete but she doesn’t rely on only her natural talents. She spends so much extra time improving her game knowledge and constantly adds new skills. The range of her stick work and shots make her hard to defend.” She says she has also had great learning relationships with her basketball coaches and her cross country coaches Heather Kampf and Brady Zimmer.

Molly’s favorite sports memory is going to state for lacrosse her 8th grade year. She says it was “just a great feeling.” She is very accomplished in all the sports she plays and is a state participant and all conference in cross country all 4 years. She also was first team all state in lacrosse as a sophomore. She achieves these honors because, as her coach Alex Ross explains, Molly is “a huge threat because of her work ethic. She is a gifted runner and athlete but she doesn’t rely on only her natural talents. She spends so much extra time improving her game knowledge and constantly adds new skills. The range of her stick work and shots make her hard to defend.”

As many high schoolers at Apple Valley know, Molly has been recruited to Louisville for lacrosse starting the fall of 2018. Moynihan previously thought she was set on playing basketball in college, but as her freshman year of lacrosse turned out to be successful, her mind changed. When asked about her recruiting process, she explains that is was “a long and kind of frustrating journey during early recruitment, but I luckily found the right school.”

Molly visited her future college in August and says that she chose Louisville over other recruiters because she really liked the “coaches, facilities, and overall feel of the campus.”  Ross explained that the process consisted of Molly and her “going through her list of schools and eliminating ones that didn’t fit with what she wanted (size, location, desired major, etc.). I would reply to the coach with my own recommendation of her as a student and athlete. Molly did most of the work, I mostly was there to preview her player profile, video, and emails.”

Molly is very involved with extracurriculars outside of sports including NHS and student council. She also maintains her grades and takes challenging courses, which leaves her very busy. When asked how she juggles it all she responded with, “My priority is academics, but I somehow find the right balance between sports and academics. The people I surround myself with help me socially and academically with the standards they set.”

Molly is a cross country and lacrosse captain and is a leader on and off the field. Fellow lacrosse teammate, junior Emma Vogelgesang, said that “Molly is a great captain who brings a ton of energy to the team! It’s always fun getting to play with her because she is so skilled in so many areas of the game.” One of her cross country teammates, Sarah Crippes, said that “Molly brings a lot of hard work, dedication, and motivation, as well as the idea that the team is beyond just a select few individuals by really understanding that it is a team effort.”

Molly’s advice to other student athletes is that “no matter what level you are at you should put academics first and always leave everything on the court, field or wherever you play.”

Come watch D1 bound Molly Moynihan do her thing at the final stretch of the season (Schedule).