Canadian Mennonite University

From the Raiders to the Blazers: Women's Basketball Sign Local Forward

From the Raiders to the Blazers: Women's Basketball Sign Local Forward

The CMU Women's Basketball program is very pleased to announce the commitment of Abby Morydz for the 2024-25 MCAC and NIAC seasons. The Oak Park and Magic Club product will lend her grit and hard-working attitude down low for the Blazers for the upcoming year.

Morydz joins the Blazers after making a positive showing at the team's ID camp earlier this spring, and looks to be a player whose nose-to-the-grindstone outlook will help her develop even further under the Blazers' new head coach Sharlene Harding. An MHSAA 'AAAA' Provincials berth in the 2022-23 high school season with her Oak Park Raiders was a great experience for the young varsity student-athlete at the time, helping her see the top level of competition and talent in Manitoba. This past January the Raiders travelled to Edmonton for a tournament after the Christmas break, where she got to see more top talent from Alberta, including Raymond Academy's Delaney Gibb, a member of Team Canada's U19 squad. Named player of the game on multiple occasions during her high school career, including at the Sisler Spartan Classic, the Miles Mac Buckeye Classic, and the Sturgeon Heights Girls Tournament, Morydz is looking to build on her past success and bring her game to the next level at CMU.

A relative late-comer to the club basketball scene, after a start with Winnipeg Wolves for her 17U season, she transferred to Manitoba Magic for her final year of youth club where she flourished under coach Arcenio, who was able to get the most out of Morydz as a post. At 5'8" she gives up length to some of the bigger power forwards and posts around, but makes up for it in grit and determination in the paint. A multi-sport athlete who has also competed in discus and shot put as well as rugby for her high school, it comes as no surprise that Morydz is a tough defender down low and not someone that will easily back down. In her second trip to Edmonton of the year, Morydz and the Magic won their tier at the Swoosh Volvo of Edmonton Challenge, and managed a third-place finish in the PBA league back home in Winnipeg.

Now training with the Blazers, Morydz was brought into the fold by program alumni and assistant coach Shirliz Apiyo. She is excited to continue playing basketball at a higher level and learning more about the game, and who better to do it from than the program's new head coach Sharlene Harding, who has ample experience playing and coaching internationally as well as at the high school and college levels. "Abby is a hardworking player who is willing to commit what it takes to make her and her team competitive at the highest levels," notes Harding about her first signing after taking the helm. "She is very conscientious of the dedication and continuous practice required to play elite basketball and I am eager to see her contribute to the Blazers WBB Team's success going forward."

Now finishing up her final days of high school, Morydz will have another trip West to look forward to as the Blazers are set to begin their pre-season with some CCAA competition in Saskatchewan and Southern Alberta. Back home, the Blazers Women's Basketball program is looking to rebound this season after their run of five consecutive MCAC title wins came to an end this past February. Plenty of talent on the team and a revamped NIAC and MCAC schedule that sees the St Boniface Rouges enter the American conference looks to make for another exciting campaign both here in Manitoba as well as in the Northern United States.

Printed from: blazers.cmu.ca/blazers-wbb-recruit-morydz