Morgan Nelson wins her prelim heat of the 100m right before finishing 2nd in the Long Jump at the Pinnacle Pioneer Invite. Arizona Milesplit Photo.
Morgan Nelson has been selected as the Arizona Milesplit athlete of the week for successfully leading defending division 4 champions Scottsdale Prep against division 1 competition at the Pinnacle Pioneer Invitational.
“It's really interesting, you can't get too cocky" explained Morgan Nelson of competing at large division 1 meets, “I don't come in expecting to win." While she might not be able to win against big school competition she is a force to be reckoned with, often placing in the top 3 or 4. At the division 4 state meet last year Morgan was the 100m champion and 3rd place finisher in the long jump. Her 16 points contributed to her team's victory last year and she wants to help her team repeat this year. Competing as a team is apriority at Scottsdale Prep. “We are at a disadvantage because of numbers but we are well coached so that makes up for a lot."
Morgan went one to clarify that even though the numbers are small the small team might have its perks as well. Why is this such an advantage one might ask? Morgan elucidated, “We pretty much eat sleep and run together." Having a tight band of brothers and sisters translates to good comradery on the track as well. “We root for each other and feed off each other. I do better when I know they are cheering for me," elaborated Morgan, “It is way different than other sports." Being at a small school Morgan knows something about doing other sports as well. Splitting time between softball and track she admits that sometimes it “feels like I am getting up off the couch to run." I think most people wish they could get up off the couch and run under 13 seconds for the 100m. Whatever the time away from practice is, it is obvious she still is getting her conditioning in.
Despite being a part time member of the team, she feels very well accepted. In fact her teammates are very welcoming of fans too. “Even people not on track team come out because they want to be part of it," expounded Morgan, “There are no rivalries, that's why I kept coming back and that's why we got 141 points at state last year." For those of you who do not already know 141 is a huge haul for a team at state. They could garner a similar point tally this year if all goes well. If you are attending the state meet even for a larger school, look for the harriers from Scottsdale Prep to make another run at a state title this spring behind Morgan Nelson.