Drexel women’s tennis No. 1 Lorie Lemongo has made her mark in West Philly, by way of Morocco
For Drexel's top women's player, it appears all of the hard work — work that has happened on a transcontinental scale — is beginning to pay off.
From Cameroon to Morocco to Philly, Drexel’s Lorie Lemongo is making her mark in tennis
Lemongo, a sophomore from Yaoundé, Cameroon, finished the year as the Dragons’ top singles player in a season that saw Drexel reach the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament for the first time.
Lemongo would watch her father play at their local tennis club in Cameroon and first learned to play tennis at age 3.
“My father coached me until I was 13,” Lemongo said. “Then I moved to Morocco to train and go to school there full time.”
Lemongo attended the International Tennis Federation’s regional academy in Casablanca, Morocco. While there, she and her schoolmates took online classes to allow them to focus on tennis.
“It was hard at first to adapt, but it got easier, said Lemongo, a business and finance major at Drexel. “I knew people from junior tournaments, and I was able to go home every summer.”
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Lemongo said balancing athletics and in-person classes was difficult when she first got to Drexel, but she was able to adapt yet again.
“The main difference is that my training in Morocco was a junior academy, so we were all playing for ourselves,” Lemongo said. “Drexel is a team environment, and we are more supportive of each other.”
It actually was through her time in Morocco that she found Drexel. Dragons men’s tennis coach Mehdi Rhazali, from Morocco himself, found Lemongo through the ITF center.
“I was talking to many different schools, but I felt that Drexel would suit me best, especially from an academic standpoint,” Lemongo said.
Despite playing as Drexel’s No. 1 for her first two years, Lemongo remains humble.
“I don’t focus on the ladder position, I just focus on doing my best to win matches,” Lemongo said. “Sure, I play No. 1 in the lineup, but every match matters just as much as the others. I just try to work hard and push my teammates, and they do the same for me.”
That team attitude paid off at the CAA championships last month. As the No. 7 seed, Lemongo faced No. 2 seed Adel-Byanu Abidullina of Delaware in singles. After a loss in the first set, Lemongo prevailed, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“I lost to the girl I played in the decider just a week ago,” Lemongo said. “She won the first set so easily, so I just told myself to play like I have nothing to lose.”
Additionally, Lemongo fell and sprained her ankle when tied, 1-1, and won in dramatic style from 5-2 up in the final set.
“It got to 5-4, and I was down a game ball, but I managed to win,” Lemongo said. “When she hit the ball out, I just threw my racket. It felt great, and it was so emotional. That was my favorite moment so far with this team. When I am clinching, and I see everyone there supporting me, it feels amazing.”
With two years left in her college career, Lemongo says she’s trying to focus on achieving as much as she can as a Dragon. However, if the opportunity arises, she says that she would love to play professional tennis post-college.
“For now, I just want to help the team grow, grow my own game and [continue] to enjoy it,” said Lemongo. “We’ll see what happens.”