Delaney Cowen (‘24)
2023 stats: 4.1 goals/game (first on team, third in the conference, 10th in 4A East); First Team All-Conference
Green Hope’s star midfielder, Delaney Cowen returns as one of eight seniors on the varsity women’s lacrosse team. In 2023, Cowen helped lead the Falcons to a 10-4 conference record earning themselves a thirdplace finish in the SWAC. Reflecting on last year, Cowen says, “I felt the season was pretty successful. We were able to work well as a team and use our strengths to our advantage. I also feel that we were able to develop strong team chemistry.”
In 2024, Cowen is ready for a fast run to the state playoffs and knows that she will play a big role. She states, “This year I want to improve on draws … this will lead to more wins for us so it is a focus of mine.” For the team, Cowen hopes to beat Apex Friendship and Holly Springs, the two best teams in the SWAC a year ago.
As they look to improve on their 13-6 record from last year, the Falcons aren’t the only ones anticipating a great season: HighSchoolOT ranked Green Hope as the seventh-best team in the state and the best team in the conference.
Isaac Nitzowski (‘24)
2023 stats: Six doubles (most on the team); All-Conference honorable mention
Green Hope’s starting first baseman and cleanup hitter, Isaac Nitzowski returns as a key piece for the elite Falcon lineup. On the team’s 2023 season, Nitzkowski stated, “Unfortunately, last season wasn’t that different than the year before. We started off great but didn’t finish the season well and ended up a game or two outside of the playoffs.” A positive that Nitzowski did take from the season was the camaraderie of the team, saying, “We did have a lot of fun as a team. This team is probably the closest team I’ve ever played on and that’s something we should take into this year.” Though the season didn’t meet expectations as a team, Nitzkowski had a fantastic season. He commented, “Though I had some troubles defensively, I was able to transition to being a designated hitter (not playing a defensive position in the field) and make massive strides as a hitter.” These strides were displayed by 22 hits in a team-leading 63 at-bats.
Looking forward to this year Nitzkowski is ready for a stellar senior season. Nitzkowski stated, “This year my biggest goal is to make the state playoffs, something we haven’t accomplished in my career here at Green Hope. I also want to hit above .300 again and make all-conference.”
The team began their season with a dominating win over Knightdale followed by a crushing loss to Broughton in extra innings. They will begin conference play next week with two games against the defending conference champion Middle Creek Mustangs.
Brij Bhatt (‘25)
2023 stats: (23-3) overall record; (10-1) record for doubles
Green Hope’s sophomore captain from last year, Brij Bhatt returns to lead the defending state champion Falcon team. When asked about last year, Bhatt commented, “I feel like last season was very successful, as a team we won the state title, and individually, Stephen [Gervase (‘26)] and I were able to reach states for doubles.” Looking forward to next year, Bhatt has high expectations. “This year I want to go back-back for the team state title, and for doubles, I want to win regionals.”
While winning back-to-back state titles is very challenging, the Falcons are primed for a run. The team added 5-star Arizona State commit Jimin Jung (‘24) to strengthen an already elite roster. The team kickstarted their season with 3 dominating 9-0 victories, defeating Middle Creek, Holly Springs and Leesville Road.
