The sea and its ecosystems are near and dear to Sophie O’Rourke’s scientific curiosity, but the dream has always been to study what lies under the waters of Canada’s majestic east coast.
As of this month, she’ll soon get to do so while also playing the sport she loves.
The Prince George volleyball player has signed with Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L., to play for the women’s team starting in fall 2021.
The Sea-Hawks play in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference, which competes in U SPORTS, Canada’s highest level of collegiate athletics.
O’Rourke is excited to experience what will be the biggest step of her young career in addition to beginning her pursuit of a marine biology degree.
“I started with a short list of schools and thought the combination of program and volleyball that Memorial offered would be a good fit for me,” the 17-year-old tells PrinceGeorgeMatters.
“Playing at the U SPORTS level was a goal that I had set for myself. I’m excited that I will have the chance to fulfill it.”
O’Rourke has had quite the career both in high school and on club teams.
The middle blocker finished 10th at the BC Secondary School Volleyball Provincial Championships with the PGSS Polars in 2019. The 2020 event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In that same 16-team tournament, PGSS finished with a 3-3 record and were also named the Most Sportsmanlike Team in the AAA girls division.
With the Prince George Kodiaks at the club level, she helped the Girls 15U team capture a bronze medal at the B.C. championships in 2018.
Months later, O’Rourke climbed to the top of the podium with the region’s best in aiding Cariboo-North East to a gold medal in girls’ volleyball at the BC Summer Games.
She then joined a new team in early 2020, Campbell River’s Wave U17 Volleyball Academy, which had qualified for club provincials prior to the pandemic.
“Sophie comes to us from a very athletic family, who are embedded in athletics throughout the country,” said Sea-Hawks Head Coach John Slauenwhite in a team release of O'Rourke, who's also a graduate of the Canadian Sport School program in Prince George.
“She is a very dynamic jumper who plays with lots of speed through the middle. I'm looking forward to having her at Memorial University, and seeing her grow into her potential at the university level.”
The Memorial Sea-Hawks finished 0-20 in the 2019-20 AUS season and haven’t won a conference title since 2000.
O’Rourke believes she can provide a lot of passion to the school in hopes of leading to a more successful campaign, should COVID-19 allow it.
“I am looking forward to being a Seahawk and I want to bring a high level of compete to practices and games,” she said.
“I feel my quickness and being coachable have gotten to this point. [...] The Atlantic provinces have been able to keep their COVID numbers low which has allowed for more practices during this year. So I am really confident there will be a season, it may not be exactly normal but we will have one.”
Sophie won’t be too far away from her brother Ethan O’Rourke, who’s currently on the roster for the Dalhousie Tigers men's hockey team in Halifax, N.S., and played 57 games with the Prince George Cougars before his trade to Everett in January 2018.
Sophie is also the daughter of Steve O’Rourke, current director of player development for the Cougars and director of hockey operations for the Prince George Minor Hockey Association (PGMHA).
