The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Gilmour junior is Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year
Kathryn Randorf knew before she stepped foot into Mrs. Lazarchik’s room on May 6 that she was going to have trouble concentrating on her Block 1 Religion class that morning.
That’s because Randorf, a junior at Gilmour, received a shocking email as she arrived at school that she had been named the Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year in Ohio for the 2020 season.
“It was amazing. I was freaking out,” said Randorf, still giddy a few days after the big news. “We all went for a walk to unwind and relax — the whole class.”
With the blessing of Lazarchik, who was also ecstatic for her young pupil, of course.
“I was in shock when I got the email,” Randorf said. “I knew I had been nominated for the award, so I was in the running. But as a junior I knew it was going to be super difficult to compete with some of these amazing players around the state, many who are seniors.”
Randorf’s numbers from her junior season were off the charts. She recorded 304 kills, 176 digs and 96 blocks for the Lancers, who finished 22-1 and defeated Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in the Division II state championship last November.
“She’s just the total package, both as a student-athlete and as a human being,” said coach Danny Coughlin. “She can play all six rotations, but she’s also energetic and thrives in big moments.”
No moment was bigger than the state championship game in which the Lancers rallied from a 1311 deficit in the fifth and deciding game, with Randorf pounding four straight kills to bring her team back for the state championship-clinching win. “In our last timeout, Kathryn comes in the huddle and goes, ‘Don’t worry. I got this,’” Coughlin said. “It was like, ‘Just give me the ball. I’ll take care of this.’”
As Coughlin said, Randorf (at six-feet) is adept at spiking, blocking and even playing the back row at a high level. Her versatility is a big reason why she has given her verbal commitment to Northwestern, accepting a full athletic scholarship.
Randorf chose Northwestern over offers from Ohio State and Illinois, among others, but the Wildcats, Buckeyes and Fighting Illini were her top three choices.
“Academics is so important to me,” Randorf said, “but I also wanted to play at the highest level, and everyone knows the Big Ten is the best conference to be playing in.
“When I went there to visit, it was so welcoming. It just felt like home. I knew when I walked in that’s where I wanted to go.”
Randorf glows when talking about her junior season. She said that navigating through the COVID threatened year to win the state championship with her teammates was gratifying.
“To achieve so much in an awkward time makes you appreciate what we did so much more,” she said.
There is another year to go for Randorf, though. She said she and her teammates - both the returning players and the ballyhooed incoming class of freshmen - are looking forward to another run at a Division II state title.
“She’s always helping, teaching and mentoring,” Coughlin said. “She even went to the house of one of our incoming freshmen to see how she’s doing after meniscus surgery. THAT tells you about the type of person Kathryn Randorf is.”