It may be hard to envision in 2025, but there was once a day at Martin Luther King High School where the gym walls and floor were bare of banners; branding and TV screens. It was a time where there was no stadium, no all-weather track, and no lights. It was in this environment where the “pioneers” of the King athletics, coaches and athletes, set the base for the success that was to come.

One of those pioneers was Orlisha Henlon (Class of 2003) who helped put King High School on the map with her athletic prowess and her scholastic abilities. All that ability and the accomplishments that came with it, have led to Orlisha Henlon’s inclusion in the King High Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Orlisha was a skinny, gangly, freshman who had never really been that involved or that interested in sports. However, upon entering King High School, all that changed as she joined the Wolves Girls basketball team and went out for the track team. According to an article in the Press-Enterprise, it was the first time, she had really touched a basketball. As a hoopster under Coach Ann Dena Sjoerdsma, Orlisha would be a three-year starter and letterwinner. She helped lead the Lady Wolves to 3 playoff appearances and one Sunkist League Championship.

In 2002 she was named All-Ivy League and the team’s best defensive player. In terms of all-time program numbers, Orlisha is still in the top ten in career steals; career blocked shots; in career points scored and career 3- point shots made. She is also in the top ten all time in single season assists and steals.

In track and field, Orlisha was a four-year letterwinner; a four -year CIF qualifier and helped the Wolves to 4 straight League Championships. With Orlisha and fellow Hall of Famer Markisha Lea, leading the way, the Lady Wolves finished 4 th in CIF Division 2 in 2002, still the program’s highest finish ever.

“I am so excited for Orlisha receiving this honor,” said Markisha. “We basically grew up in sports through middle school and high school. She was a great teammate both on the court and on the track; a great competitor and always brought great energy to whatever she was involved in.”  Together again, their Hall of Fame plaques will adorn the gym lobby.

Orlisha is second all time in the high jump at 5-6. Over the span of her 4 years, she was an 8- time League Champion and qualified for CIF Finals 3 years in 12 events. She was All-CIF 6 times (100-4 x 400) and 3 times ALL CIF in the high jump and the 200. In 2003, Orlisha was League Champion in the High Jump and the CIF CHAMPION in that event. That same year, she would finish 2 nd at the Masters Meet and 7 th at the California State Championships, being the second female ever to make the State Meet. In 2003, she was the team’s MVP. She still sits in the top 20 in six events at MLK.

From King High School, Orlisha went to UC Irvine to compete for the Anteaters. There, she was a four- year letter winner and a 4- time Big West Conference Finalist in a myriad of events. She was also a 2-time NCAA Western Regional Qualifier. She is currently still in the top 5 All-time at UCI in 5 events-the HJ-the LJ-the 400-the 4 x 400 Relay and in the Women’s Hepthalon.

Always the great student, Orlisha excelled in her college studies just as she had at King High. Orlisha has her Bachelor’s degree from UCI and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Government and Policy. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive working for Political Research Associates in Maryland as their Developmental Director. She has worked for fifteen years for various non-profits and governmental agencies specializing in workforce development and social service programs.