Bacon Academy Scholar-Athletes: Gorreck and Moores

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Grace Gorreck and Ryan Moores were selected as Bacon Academy’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

Grace Gorreck and Ryan Moores were selected as Bacon Academy’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the year 2022-2023 school year. 

The Scholar-Athlete Program annually recognizes two high school seniors from each member high school of the Connecticut Association of Schools/Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS/CIAC) whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, whose personal standards and achievements are a model to others, and who possess high levels of integrity, self-discipline and courage.

The pair was honored at the 40th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington last month.

“Rock Steady” Gorreck     

Along with being the Class of 2023 salutatorian, Gorreck was a four-year member of the school’s volleyball team, playing on the varsity team since her sophomore season and serving as an outside hitter for the Bobcats.

In the fall of 2022, Gorreck earned Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC) Scholar-Athlete recognition on the courts and was also a standout her junior season when the team won an ECC Division II title in 2021.  

Gorreck stated that volleyball has “helped me grow mentally, socially, and physically more than any other activity I have participated in.”

Bacon Academy volleyball head coach Scott Dumond called her “rock steady”, adding that Gorreck was an “extremely smart player and powerful player.”

“She demonstrates her leadership through action. I could count on her for anything and that rolled into her being a great captain,” added Dumond. “The same effort that she puts into her school work and in life, she would put into volleyball.”

Gorreck was also instrumental with helping the volleyball program grow, organizing and leading a week-long clinic for middle schoolers last spring and also running two charity games that raised more than $2,300.  

Dumond said that Gorreck’s dedication to the program was evident from the first day she stepped onto the court.    

“Grace was always looking to help,” added Dumond. “If I needed fliers printed out or something done for the team, Grace was the one I went to. She would spread the word and communicate with other girls.” 

Dumond added, “She was always doing what she was supposed to do. I am going to miss her completely.”

Gorreck, who was also a volunteer coach for youth basketball in Colchester, will attend Marist College and study environmental science as part of the college’s honors program.   

Moores Goes the Distance

Moores was ranked No. 1 in his class academically, earning the school’s valedictorian distinction, and was also one of the state’s top distance runners. 

Along with a slew of academic achievements, Moores was a three-season runner, competing on the cross-country trails in the fall and the outdoor and indoor tracks in the winter and spring seasons. 

Moores was three-sport captain his senior season and earned all-conference multiple times in all three. 

He won dozens of events during his tenure at Bacon Academy, including an Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC) title in the 1600 meters during indoor track and followed his conference title with a 3rd place finish at the Class S championships, running a personal-best time of 4:24.99 in February. 

Track and field head coach Steve Browning said that Moores’ work ethic is second to none. 

“He has done a lot for the program,” added Browning. “It’s been a real pleasure to coach him.”
Browning noted that Moores was able to juggle his extensive school and volunteer schedule with his desire to become an elite runner. 

“He’s really bright, really dedicated. He is pretty much anything you would want in an athlete,” added Browning. “He’s very independent and he’ll do the work when you’re not looking, which is a good influence on younger kids.” 

This past fall, Moores placed 3rd in the Class M cross-country championships to wrap up four productive years on the local trails.

Moores was also capable of excelling at a variety of distances during track season, competing in the 400, 800, 1600, and the 3200 meters, along with participating in several relay teams. 

“Kids fed off his energy,” stated Browning. “Knowing how good he was, the other kids would work harder and Ryan could pull us through the toughest events. I can’t tell you how many meets we won because of him.”

Moores, who is the Vice President of the Class of 2023 at Bacon Academy, will attend Princeton University to study neuroscience.
​He will use his first year at the university as a gap year and study abroad in Indonesia through the Novogratz Bridge Year Program.