Photography by Steve Buchanan
Sierra Lester has the ideal size and skills for a basketball player. Lester, a recent Queen Anne’s County High School graduate, is 6 feet tall, has a nice touch around the basket, and played tenacious defense to earn a starting role in her final season this past winter.
On the soccer field, the Church Hill resident’s size is a little uncommon. But she uses that height advantage as a defender to dominate and sometimes even intimidate opponents.
“I am pretty good at going up in the air for a ball,” Lester explains. “I win them a majority of the time. My height is the main factor. Some players don’t go after a ball and say, ‘She is tall. Let her have it.’”
Lester’s array of skills—quickness, toughness, athletic ability, ball skills, and grit—will enable her to play college soccer next season as a defender. She’s going to suit up for Division III Neumann University in Southeast Pennsylvania. The 18-year-old will major in cyber security after carrying a 3.5 grade-point average in high school.
“They valued my academics more than any other school,” Lester says. “I like that they are expanding their cyber security program. Athletically, I really like the coach (Rosie Kays) and all the players on the team. They really welcomed me when I went for my overnight visit. They made me feel part of their team already.”
Above all, Lester’s size appealed to Kays—especially how Lester used it so effectively. It’s clear the coach is very excited to have Lester join her program.
“She is six feet tall but athletically gifted,” Kays says. “She really knows how to utilize those physical gifts. She is a smart player who is calm and composed. Those are really important things to have as a center back. And she’s shown to be a threat to score on set pieces.”
Playing club soccer for the past 10 years also helped put Lester in a position to play college soccer. Her skills improved consistently, and she earned a starting position for the Queen Anne’s County High School soccer team. She received Bayside All-Conference honors for her standout play.
The club teams she played for included Bayshore, Maryland Rush, and most recently, the well-respected Shore Football Club.
“I have known her for quite a few years,” Shore Football Coach Mike Leach says. “She always came when we had college coaches come in to train our girls. She always stood out from a very young age. I like her versatility in playing different positions. That’s what attracted us to her.”
Lester started four years on the Queen Anne’s varsity team and was named a Second-Team All-Conference selection as a junior, then First-Team All-Conference as a senior. As co-captain last fall, she has proved to be more than just the leader of the defense. She had a key goal on a penalty kick in a 3-2 overtime win over Kent Island. Lester also scored a header in a 4-0 rout of North Caroline.
“As she got to her junior and senior years, she controlled the ball better and became more of an asset on the offensive end,” Queen Anne’s Girls Soccer Coach Mike Kern says. “She had a nose for the ball.”
Kern, who doubled as the school’s girls basketball coach, enjoyed her contributions as a first-year varsity player for the 2023 season. She averaged eight points and 10 rebounds a game.
“She never really played basketball until her senior year,” Kern says. “She ended up starting for us and doing well. It was a big surprise.”
Obviously, Lester’s future is in soccer. “I remember playing North Caroline during her freshman year,” Kern explains. “One of our older players got knocked down and she went over to the opposing player and gave a good nudge. I knew right then and there, she was going to be a leader for us. She is strong and physical. It’s her demeanor out there. She intimidates the other players.
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