Morenci's Leah Rorick earns MHSAA multi-sport honor
MORENCI — Each year, the Michigan High School Coaches Association presents an award to one multi-sport athlete in each class.
Leah Rorick of Morenci wasn’t a two-sport athlete or even three sport athlete this year. Rorick has been in five sports.
“Usually, I don’t get more than a day’s break in between sports,” Rorick said from running in four events at a recent Morenci track and field meet. “It’s kind of tough.”
It’s fitting Rorick is the first ever Morenci winner of the Rich Tompkins Award. She will earn her 13th varsity letter this season. She’s been on the Bulldog track and field team four years, was on the varsity basketball and cross country teams four years each and this year added varsity volleyball to her resume. She also ran indoor track all winter long.
She heard Morenci athletic director Kristine Walker had nominated her, but was surprised when she found out she was the statewide winner among Class D schools.
“I found out a couple of days ago,” Rorick said. “Our athletic director pulled me into her office and told me. She told me about it before.
“I think it is really cool. Not a lot of people do that many sports. They do, but they might skip out of it for one year or something and I didn’t. I pushed through.”
Rorick persevered through some ups and downs at Morenci.
Basketball is her favorite sport. Her freshman season, Morenci won four games. The team steadily improved and this past season reached the Division 4 quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.
“Our freshman year was tough,” she said. “To transition to only losing four games our senior year was a lot different. It was definitely better.”
As a senior, Rorick averaged 6.1 points a game and led the 21-4 Bulldogs in 3-pointers with 21.
She’s been a standout performer in other sports, too.
She was first or second team All-Tri-County Conference in cross country all four years and qualified for the state meet three times. She qualified for the state track meet her first three years and earned All-State honors on a relay team as a freshman and in the high hurdles as a junior.
She runs the 400, hurdles and competes in relays.
“The hurdles and 400 are my favorite events,” she said. “I’m the most competitive in those races. I like to see the others girls’ times and compete against them.”
She was even a state qualifier in indoor track season. Meets were held during basketball season so she was only able to compete in a couple of events, but still qualified for the state championships held at Ypsilanti Lincoln’s indoor facility.
She likes going from one sport to the next.
“I think its better to just keep going because I’m more in shape,” she said.
Morenci basketball coach Ashley Joughin said Rorick was deserving of the honor.
“She rarely missed an off-season workout and always pushes herself to get stronger, faster, and improve her skills,” Joughin said. “She's a great teammate and has definitely done her part in inspiring the next group of leaders at Morenci High School.”
Off the court, track or course, she’s been involved in numerous volunteer activities, from delivering lunches during COVID as a freshman to being a referee at youth basketball games to being on the National Honor Society and Morenci’s Student Council. She will graduate with a GPA above 4.00.
The daughter of John and Andi Rorick plans on attending Bowling Green State University and study architecture. She’s already taken several college classes through dual enrollment.
“I’ve always wanted to design houses,” she said. “My uncle is an engineer and I was looking into that and I found architecture.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Morenci's Leah Rorick earns MHSAA's Class D Rich Tompkins Award
