On Monday, February 7, 2011, in the PHS-TV studios, Pennsbury senior Morgan Perry was recognized for signing a letter of intent to compete in cross country and track at the University of Pittsburgh.
Morgan Perry – University of Pittsburgh (Cross Country/Track)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Pitt, LaSalle, Temple, Shippensburg
Reasons for choosing Pitt: “I really enjoyed my visit at Pitt. I loved the campus, I loved the team and I vibed well with the coaches. They have a lot of academic support if I need it, and I just felt like I really fit in well there.”
What was the progression that led you to running at the collegiate level? “I started running in seventh grade, but I really started competing at a higher level probably by my sophomore year. I joined the cross country team and started running varsity as a freshman, and that was a red flag that I am pretty good at what I do. I just feel like running is so much a part of me. I really couldn’t see myself not running in college.
“Obviously, getting a scholarship to a Division One school is a very big deal. It’s not something I always thought was on the spectrum, but after winning the state championship (in cross country) and being a key part of that team, I felt as though maybe it was a possibility. It’s very exciting.”
Cross country coach Don Little says: “Morgan was, at first, a reluctant runner. She came out of middle school and wanted to run the 200 and 400, and converting her to distance was a slow process at first. Once she recognized that she could do it, she helped us help the other girls recognize that that the 5,000-meter and three-mile race was not some great distance that couldn’t be run. She really became a huge proponent in getting a lot of the girls that were middle distance runners and even some sprinters to come out for cross country. Most of those girls didn’t run varsity, but they ran well enough to make everyone else run faster. It really helped give the team some numbers where we went from 24-25 to 32-34. With those girls pushing the girls in front of them, it made the entire team better. Her sheer presence on the team helped convert a lot of the other girls. She was a very positive influence on getting them to come out and run cross country.
“Once she bought into cross country, she was always very consistent. You could always count on her to do what you knew she could do. It’s one of those intangible things – she just consistently performed at a high level, and even on off days, she was still where we needed her to be as far as place was concerned. Her strength was that you could always count on her to be consistent. You knew she was going to be you needed her to be.”
Track coach Tim Cass says: “She was part of the first ever state championship (cross country) team, and throughout her career, she has been part of numerous relay team records and varsity lettered in 12 seasons, which is incredible.
“She perseveres big time. Whatever she does, she does at 110 percent. She’s a very hard worker, and she comes from a very classy family. Everything she does is definitely focused, and she’s a positive role model for the younger kids. She’s a pleasure to work with – she’s like an assistant coach.”
Assistant coach Natalie Storaska says: “As a runner, she has great form, and she’s a leader on the team – the girls really look up to her. She’s positive, and she’s very resilient – she battles back. She doesn’t let a bad practice or a bad day affect her overall performance.”
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