Levi Moell, a graduate of West Liberty-Salem, and member of the University of Dayton football team, has been named the 2025 winner of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Merit Award.
According to a release on the UD football website, the award was presented by the Football Writers Association of America. It was created in 2012 “to honor an individual and/or a group with a military background and/or involvement that has an impact within the realm of college football.”
After graduating from West Liberty-Salem, Moell served four years in the United States Marine Corps, and joined the Flyers in 2022.
He is a member of the team’s travel squad, and has played in three games, with eight rushes for 41 yards.
He is majoring in health and science and plans to purse a career in the strength and conditioning field.
According to the release, FWAA President Bill Bender said, “While Levi does not have the statistics on the field, his numbers add up off-the-field with his teammates and coaches. I am impressed by comments about Levi serving as a team leader in showing the younger players the ropes in an area where he was getting on-the-job training for his chosen field.”
Dayton head coach Trevor Andrews was quoted as saying, “Levi came to our football program as a try-out walk-on. The years on the team that followed, I’m sure, did not feel like an easy path, but he has always persevered. His positive attitude and self-confidence never wavered, which in turn created an ‘iron sharpens iron’ mentality within his position group. I have seen his work ethic and dedication rub off on our younger players, and I feel our football team has benefited more from Levi Moell than he has benefited from being a part of our team.”
Dayton is 6-3 on the season and hosts Drake this Saturday for Senior Day.
