By OLIVIA MAYTIN
CHEERLEADING – SENIOR MEGAN HUGHES
Varsity coach Nakeya Fleming chose Hughes because “she is a powerhouse. She works hard to improve every day and doesn’t settle for anything less than her best. She is supportive and encouraging to her teammates and is a great leader.”
Q. What hobbies or interests do you have outside of sports?
A. I like to go to a competitive cheer gym to work on tumbling. When I’m not doing that, I like to hang out with friends or go to other sporting events.
Q. How do you balance being a student-athlete?
A. I prioritize my education first, and a way I do that is to get all my homework done I can in classes when I have free time, or whenever I’m home before practice I get work done. That way, after practice I can get studying done and not stress over late work.
Q. When did you start playing this sport and why did you start?
A. In 3rd grade, my sister transferred to a different gym called Shockwave, where I was welcomed with open arms. I was at one of my sister’s practices, and one of the coaches saw I was trying to do a back walk-over and was so sweet and helped me do it. Then I wanted to learn more skills and be a part of a team, so I joined during the next tryout clinic.
Q. What is the team atmosphere like at QO?
A. Our team atmosphere is definitely crazy at times during competition season because there’s so much pressure. But our team always finds the positives by making jokes and keeping practice entertaining.
Q. What are some of the goals you have for the team?
A. One of the main goals I have is to place at least third at regionals and at least get to go to the state competition. I also want the girls who don’t have a back tuck to do one successfully, because most people on the team are so close to getting the skill and I believe they can get it.
Q. What’s your favorite team tradition?
A. My favorite team tradition is our team sleepover because we get so close to one another and get to learn so much about each other.
CROSS COUNTRY – FRESHMAN ALIYA ARGUBIE
Varsity Coach Seann Pelkey chose Argubie because she is the girl’s team leader in the 5K, finishing in 22:28 minutes. She is the team’s top finisher in every meet this year and she finished 46th at the MCPS Championships.
Q. What hobbies or interests do you have outside of sports?
A. Besides sports, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and music.
Q. How do you balance being a student-athlete?
A. I prioritize my tasks and stay organized.
Q. When did you start playing this sport and why did you start?
A. Back in middle school, I got into running because my sisters were involved in a sport and they took me along.
Q. What is the team atmosphere like at QO?
A. The team dynamic at QO is incredible—the atmosphere is supportive with lots of encouragement while placing importance on effective communication and collaboration. This kind of environment really fosters great teamwork by encouraging individual passion and supportiveness.
Q. What are some of the goals you have for the team?
A. We aim to consistently improve our race times so we can rank among the top teams at meets regularly; qualifying for regional and national championships is also an objective as well as enhancing overall fitness levels and endurance within the whole team!
Q. What’s your favorite team tradition?
A. All those awesome outings we have together!
FIELD HOCKEY – SENIOR LILA MONCAK
Moncak is a two-year varsity field hockey player and both seasons has been named a captain. So far this season, she has scored 6 goals and has 6 assists. She has stepped into a leadership role this season and has excelled tremendously. She leads by example on and off the field and pushes her teammates to continuously work hard and be better versions of themselves. She is extremely coachable
Q. What hobbies or interests do you have outside of sports?
A. Outside of sports, I enjoy fishing, skiing, and hanging out with my friends.
Q. How do you balance being a student-athlete?
A. I balance being a student-athlete by working around my games and practices and getting my work done in the short time I have.
Q. When did you start playing this sport and why did you start?
A. I started sophomore year because it was my first year at QO, and I heard it was very fun and I was excited to meet new people.
Q. What is the team atmosphere like at QO?
A. The team atmosphere is very fun. We are all really close, so the team always looks forward to being at practice together!
Q. What are some of the goals you have for the team?
A. A goal I have for the team is to continue working hard to beat the harder teams!
Q. What’s your favorite team tradition?
A. My favorite tradition is having a team sleepover at the end of our season.
November 2023
The Prowler 