Mya Lowe Named US Army Impact Player of the Month

Mya Lowe, who pitches for the Charles Herbert Flowers High School softball team in Prince George's County, is the U.S. Army Impact Player of the Month!

Lowe, a senior, was nominated for the award by Molly Bender, the head coach for CH Flowers' softball team.

"Mya's dedication has been evident to her teammates and in my opinion, she has set a high standard and been a role model to our young ninth grade and junior varsity players," Bender said. "Mya has made a major impact on the CHF softball community and she will serve as a motivational force for years to come, due to all of the hard work, time, effort and passion she has displayed."

Adding to Lowe's achievement of getting selected is that she's the award's first recipient from Prince George's County. When she got the news of her selection, Lowe was ecstatic.

"It still feels kind of amazing," Lowe said. "Coach Bender surprised me at practice by telling me she had nominated me for the award, and that I had actually won. I felt a whole bunch of emotions, but mostly just shock. I know there were lots of other athletes from all across Maryland competing for it, so it's an amazing feeling to win. I still smile from ear to ear when I think about it."

Lowe is a four-year varsity player for the Jaguars. She's enjoyed a fantastic individual 2018 season, which has mirrored her team's success- CH Flowers finished the regular season with a 15-1 mark.

At the plate, Lowe has been one of the team's most dangerous hitter all season. She batted .453 with 21 RBI's, and 30 runs scored. Lowe also swatted four home runs.

In the circle is where Lowe has been most influential during the Jaguars' season though. She accumulated a 2.07 ERA over her first 64.1 innings, while recording 118 strikeouts and giving up just 33 hits. Opponents batted a mere .132 against her.

As impressive as her stats are, Lowe has been an even better leader for the Jaguars.

"I have to stay positive while in the circle no matter what the situation is," Lowe said. "If I'm getting down, upset or angry, it affects everyone. Even if I'm having a bad game, as a pitcher and a leader on the team I have to contain my frustrations. It can be a hard job at times, but I do my best to be positive for everyone, and to always have a good attitude."

Lowe credits part of her team first attitude to being a member of her school's Fire Cadet Academy, which is a two-year program that teaches students about what firefighters do.

Along with learning many useful skills, members of the program also learn the value of teamwork. To Corrie Gray, a lieutenant with CH Flowers' Fire Cadet Academy, Lowe is a standout member of the program who ensures her peers do the best they can.

"Cadet Lowe shows true leadership both on and off the field," Gray said. "For example, I have witnessed her give words of encouragement to a classmate that struggled during physical fitness training. A leader understands the needs of the team and accepts that you will not always succeed the first time, but to never give up."

Lowe hopes to use those skills in the future as well as her plans currently involve playing softball collegiately at Virginia Union, where she's accepted a scholarship, then joining the US Army.

To Lowe, joining the Army would continue a proud family tradition. Her grandfather and father both served in the military, and her older sister currently does.

"When I was little my grandfather and father told me their war stories and I just loved it," Lowe said. "I love the family type of bonds they forged. I also love the legacy of it, and also that it'll be extremely challenging."

Lowe, who is also a member of CH Flowers' ROTC program, plans to continue her ROTC education through Virginia Tech while in college. She hopes to get accepted to officer training school after college so she can begin her military career as an officer.

To those around her, there's no doubt that she'll accomplish her goals.

"Lowe is always ready to go and listens to direction, instructors barely need to repeat themselves when giving her an assignment," Gray said. "If I had to describe Lowe I would say she is respectful, a leader, has a positive attitude, and is a hard worker."

Click here to watch Mya receive her award!

The Impact Player of the Month Award is given to an individual who has impacted their team in a positive way, both on and off the field. Nominations will be accepted from any high school that reports scores to CSZ year-round, and can be submitted by parents, coaches, teachers or fellow students. To nominate a student-athlete, contact Wick Eisenberg at weisenberg@countysportszone.com with a message featuring a subject line of "US Army Impact Player Nomination." Each honoree will receive a custom trophy from Crown Trophy and the opportunity for a videotaped award presentation at their school with a member of the U.S. Army.

Congratulations to Mya!