Connellsville’s Morrison bound for Frostburg State
Recent Connellsville Area High School graduate Sophia Morrison reversed the roles of soccer player and track & field athlete while competing for the Falcons in high school.
“I started track & field in seventh grade, and I have competed in the hurdles since then,” Morrison said. “I did play soccer, but it was more to just do something fun with my friends. Normally, soccer is the primary sport for those who also compete in track & field, but I kind of reversed the roles.”
Morrison didn’t compete in soccer as a senior at Connellsville, but she participated in indoor track, which she hopes will help her when she attends Frostburg State University this fall to continue her academic and & field careers.
Competing in track & field at the next level was always a goal of Morrison, but she had committed for academics in the fall of her senior year before having a solid senior campaign that helped propel her to compete for the Bobcats.
“I always wanted to run in college, but I was thinking at the Division III level,” Morrison said. “I didn’t really have the times and places for a higher level, but I had higher marks this past season, and I started to communicate with the coach at Frostburg State through email, and they became interested in me.”
Morrison didn’t have much down time during the Falcons’ meets this year, as she bounced from the 100-meter hurdles to the 100 dash before tackling the 300 hurdles and the 1,600 relay. She did the 200 and ventured into the field for the long jump.
High school track & field meets in Pennsylvania allow athletes to participate in a maximum of four events per event, which had head coach Pat Mullaney and his staff moving Morrison to different spots to assist her team in scoring points.
The 100 hurdles and the 100 dash are held back-to-back on the schedule of events during a meet or invitational, but Morrison was able to adjust.
“In most of my meets, I would do the 100 hurdles, and after they moved the hurdles up and did the boys, I would walk back to the start line and run the open 100,” Morrison said. “It wasn’t really that bad in the regular meets, but it could be a little challenging in a meet that included preliminary and final races because I was normally competing in four events already.
“The coaching staff would put me in other events where we needed to score points for the team, but some of those events I wasn’t as strong as. I did the long jump, but it was more for fun. It’s not my strongest event.”
Despite being one of the busiest athletes on the track, and in the field, Morrison set a school record for Connellsville in the 100 hurdles with a PR (personal record) of 15.32. Her PR in the 300 hurdles is 50.13 and she ran a best time of 12.90 in the 100 dash.
She hasn’t had an overabundance of conversation with the coaches at Fairmont State regarding the events she will compete in, but the early plan is for Morrison to compete in the sprinting events.
Morrison took part in the Adidas Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., that was contested from June 18-21. She placed 76th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.51. Morrison raced in the 17th heat.
“It was nice to be able to end my high school track & field career in a meet of that caliber,” Morrison said. “I never thought I would be competing in an event like that. That was big for me.”
Morrison will work on her strength and conditioning prior to the indoor track & field season during her first semester at Fairmont State.
She will study exercise and sports science, and she would like to work in athletic training.
Morrison will not have to worry about staying in the dorms, as her father lives close to campus.
“My dad is around eight minutes from campus,” Morrison said. “I have been there so many times. I know the places and I went on multiple tours of the campus. It’s the perfect size for me, and I am glad that I will be able to commute. I don’t have to worry about a dorm, which is more affordable.”