![Freshman Milan Earl and sophomore Lucy Kaplan sit with their grandparents at Archer’s annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day Friday, March 15. The event took place over three 75-minute sessions. “[I hope my grandparents] gain an understanding about what I do, Kaplan said, because I know they ask a lot of questions and can sort of see what I do in school and what the experience is like to be here.](https://archeroracle.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/grandparents-day-option-2-1200x800.jpg)
Athletes named to Liberty All-League teams, Solomon named Co-MVP
Varsity soccer co-captains Rachel Pike (left) and Liadan Solomon (right), both ’17, pose for a picture after a game. Both were named to the Liberty League’s soccer All-League team, while Solomon was also named Co-MVP. Image courtesy of Solomon.
Though both varsity soccer and basketball have finished their seasons, the accolades are still rolling in for team members.
Soccer players Riley Adams ’20, Ella Dodd ’19, Sophie Larbalestier ’20 and Rachel Pike ’17 and Liadan Solomon ’17 were named to the Liberty League’s all-league team.
Junior basketball player Dani Roberts was selected for the Liberty All-League team for basketball.
In addition, co-captain Solomon was awarded Co-MVP of the league. This is the 16th time an Archer player has been named League MVP. She is the first Archer athlete to be named MVP of two different sports in the same year. In the fall she was named tennis MVP alongside doubles partner Sara Rabinowitz ’17.
According to Athletic Director Denny Lennon, Archer won the league championship in soccer three of Solomon’s four years on the team. Under Solomon’s leadership, this year’s varsity team achieved a 10-3-1 overall record this season, going 8-1-1 in league play.
Membership in the All-League team is determined by a meeting of Liberty League coaches, Solomon said.
“They talk about who the best players in the league are, and then they decide on an all-league team — which is basically the all-star team of our entire league,” she added.
Assuming the MVP title alongside Solomon is de Toledo senior Abby Barnes, who Solomon says is her “best friend.”
“The MVP is usually ‘most valuable player’ but this year it was, I guess, too hard to decide between me and my best friend, so we ended up getting a co-title,” she said. “This year we both contributed so much to our respective teams that it was impossible to choose one over the other.”
Sharing the title with Barnes made it all the more exciting for Solomon.
“It was [made] even cooler that I get to share it with my best friend,” Solomon said. “That’s not something that happens all that often.”
Solomon has been named All-League in soccer every year since her freshman season.
“It’s something I’ve made a goal for myself to keep working towards every year,” Solomon said. “But I never really expected to be the MVP. That was super surprising and very rewarding. It was also super cool because I found out on my birthday.”
The conclusion of the Panther’s soccer season also signals the end of Solomon’s Archer soccer career.
“[The award] just means everything to me,” Solomon said. “It was really nice to be able to have something to show for [my hard work]. Besides just the way that I feel and the other kinds of accomplishments we made as a team this year, to have something individually that I can take away from it is really, really awesome.”
Eloise Rollins-Fife joined the Oracle staff in 2015 and was promoted to co-Voices editor in 2016. She became the Managing/News & Features Editor for...
