By: Jordan Chan

Editor-in-Chief

Get ready Wildcats: After spending two years away from LGHS, Michela Moore is back and ready to enjoy her senior year before heading off to Dartmouth to play Division 1 Tennis next fall. A force to be reckoned with, Moore has ranked as high as 39th in the nation and currently ranks 10th in California for her age group according to the United States Tennis Association.

During her sophomore and junior years of high school, Moore attended Laurel Springs, an online K-12 school with a rigorous curriculum. Since classes were asynchronous, the athlete had the opportunity to focus on improving her tennis skills, and she also had the flexibility to travel for tournaments. “I had tennis from 8:30 to 2:30 every day. I did school after,” Moore explained, “it was a little bit tricky because I didn’t have actual teachers teaching me content through a slideshow…[but not] having a fixed schedule was a lot easier. I’m still not used to sitting in a classroom.” 

Moore’s tennis recruitment journey began in June of her sophomore year. She picked up the sport at around five years old, but her interest in collegiate tennis truly solidified in middle school, when she began playing more competitively. For roughly seven years now, she has trained vigorously at Eagle Fustar Tennis Academy in Sunnyvale. Attending a college with top-tier academics has always been important for her, and Moore’s dad played tennis at Dartmouth when he was a college student, so it came as no surprise when she committed to Dartmouth last January. Although she talked to a couple different coaches before making her decision, “Dartmouth was always kind of [her] top option.” 

When asked why she is so passionate about tennis, Moore replied, “Tennis is a unique sport. It’s only you on the court. [I like being] able to figure out problems in the match on my own.” Despite this individual aspect, Moore’s family and coaches have helped her get to where she is today. Moore recalls her great aunt and cousins cheering her on during a memorable match in Florida, “I was maybe 13 or 14… I played a three-hour match against my doubles partner and ultimately won. [That match] was one of the first [major tournaments] I remember winning.”

When Moore isn’t crushing her opponents on the court, she likes to bake up a storm in the kitchen or provide insightful commentary on books in her AP Literature class. Despite not knowing what the future will hold, she looks forward to exploring the world as she heads off to ivy-covered walls next year.