Editor’s note: Athlete of the month is released by ASB a week after the month ends. Stories on each athlete are delayed for this reason. 

Dirt flying from her cleats, girls varsity lacrosse team captain and midfielder Reese Rohbrach (12) runs alongside her teammates across the field, eyes focused on her fellow athletes as they deliver a final goal. Rohrbach was named the April Athlete of the Month. 

“It’s pretty awesome to receive the award, especially at a place [like] Torrey Pines where the athletics are so strong and it’s so competitive,” Rohbrach said. “My team [has] really helped with making me shine. I also put a lot of time and effort into it, so it was nice to get recognition, but at the same time, like there’s so many people on the team that are deserving [as well].”

Rosbrach grew up in a family full of “super competitive” athletes: her mother played soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, and her older sister played on the school’s varsity lacrosse team before her. For Rohbrach, watching her sister in action first inspired her to begin playing lacrosse.

“My sister tried lacrosse, and I went to one of her games, and I was like, ‘Oh this seems fun,’” Rohbrach said. “Like, I want to try it out, and that was in fifth grade, and so I just went out for one of the rec teams and tried it. Ever since then, I’ve loved it.” 

Throughout her time playing lacrosse, both Rohbrach’s parents have served as a “super great support system.” 

“I used to play travel lacrosse, and [my mom] would take me to all the tournaments, [as] they’re all on the east coast,” Rohrbach said. “She would always take me with all those, and she was always super supportive. She would push me never [to] give up, but always be like, I want to make sure this is what you want, not me pushing you into the sport. She’s amazing.” 

Varsity head coach Kaitlin Doucette watched Rohbrach play alongside her sister and feels “really happy and proud” of Rohbrach for “stepping up” as a leader. 

“When she was first on varsity, she had to be slightly subservient to her sister,” Doucette said. “Her big sister was there, and so she was learning and watching and sitting in her place as a freshman. With younger sisters, you never know if they are going to step up as a leader, and she [has] really embraced that spotlight.” 

Over her time as captain, the coaches have noticed the supportive and encouraging approach she brings to the table. 

“She’s the vocal one,” Doucette said. “She’s the one who’s calling people out. She’s just a great leader and sets the right example and asks others to do the same; she’s like the motor for the team.”

For midfielder and fellow varsity teammate Kylie Clark (11), Rohbrach creates an inclusive environment on the team. 

“She lifts others up, no matter if we’re winning games [or] losing games,” Clark said. “She always makes sure to encourage other players because she knows how she would personally do better and feel supported by her teammates. She always makes sure that incoming players who may not feel as confident or have as much experience on the field feel like they’re part of the team just as much as anyone else.” 

Before games, Rohrbach is “super mindful” around the need to build team chemistry. She fosters connection in the team room by “[encouraging teammates to] not all [be] on [their phones],” and she also simply takes the time to talk and build relationships with other players. 

“That really brought us closer together,” Clark said. “When we came to practice, we wanted to be there to support each other and fight hard for each other on the field.” 

For Rohrbach, being a leader means both being direct and making teammates feel comfortable talking to her. 

“I’ll voice my opinions all the time, and I like to be very involved and get to know people,” Rohrbach said. “It’s not just like, ‘Oh, I’m a senior captain so you can’t talk to me about things.’ I want people to be able to talk to me. When I was a freshman, I talked to the older people. I’m very commanding on the field, and I’ve been on the team since freshman year, and we’ve had a lot of similar plays, so [I have] kind of grown into figuring out what my role can be on the field. I’m very direct on the field. Sometimes it sounds maybe angry, but it’s not how I mean it. I just have a very strict view of how things should be executed.”

Rohrbach applies this same organized approach to her work as a coach for a local lacrosse program, the Rat Cheeseburgers. 

“She does more than just be a high school coach,” varsity assistant coach Kelly Metham said. “She reaches out to the parents before games to remind them when their kids have to be there. She makes sure she gets to know every kid, their names, and where they go to school. She just owns it, and she’s been very committed.” 

Throughout her time playing with Rohrbach, Clark noticed how Rohrbach has become a “role model” for her. 

“Her and I have played for the same club team and generally the same position for about a couple of years now, and I always know she is going to make us work hard at whatever we may be doing in the drill or game scenario we’re in,” Clark said. “She pushes me to improve my own skills and be a better player because I can trust her to give 100% in every [situation], and she’s been a huge role model for me the past three years.”

Doucette also believes Rohrbach serves as a “great example” of what kids should look like as “leaders in the community, personable and happy.”

“My own 4-year-old daughter is just getting around to being on our sidelines and is kind of spooked by large groups of people,” Doucette said. “Reese was the first to go over and grab her and say hi to her; she’s just aged here and a great kid.” 

Above all, Reese is “reliable, her word is her word, and you can trust she’s going to show up and get the job done.”, according to Doucette.

For Reese, every practice she tries to prioritize “focus” and having a positive outlook. 

One challenge Rohrbach experienced was breaking her ankle on the day of tryouts freshman year. 

“That was definitely super rough, I couldn’t practice,” Rohrbach said. “I didn’t have to get surgery, but I was in a cast for two months. I was on the sidelines when I obviously wanted to be on the field. A bunch of my teammates who were freshmen were starting to get on the field, meet the team, stuff like that. I kind of felt separate. But I had an awesome PT, and I was doing stats that whole time, so when I got onto the field, I kind of had a different understanding.”   

Taping her foot became interwoven into her pregame routine, mixed among other superstitions. 

“I’m very superstitious, so I tape both my ankles, because … I broke one, and I’ve sprained the other one,” Rohrbach said. “And then I like to have a game day hairstyle. It’s not always the same, but I always like [to] do that.” 

As a senior, it is Rohbarah’s last season with her teammates before heading off to college, where she hopes to try out for club programs. Her last goal while playing on the school team is to make it to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Finals. 

As she leaves, there is “definitely a big leadership and vocal role to be filled next year.”

“You grew up surrounded by the Torrey Pines Lacrosse family and then to finally be that senior, it’s like everything you’ve ever done, your whole career has led up to that moment,” Clark said. “Next year, that passion is definitely going to need to be carried through the role.”

Her coaches are confident that Rohrbach will continue to experience success off the field. 

“She’s going to be very successful in whatever career she chooses,” Metham said. “She’s going to be an athlete that Torrey Pines remembers.”