Sophomore Dana Morgan qualified for nationals as an individual

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. --- University of Portland sophomore cross country runner Dana Morgan finished 46th overall at the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday. Morgan, who qualified for nationals individually with a ninth-place finish at the West Regional, ran a time of 21:09.1 at the 6K LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.

Morgan posted the second best individual finish in Pilots history, trailing only Nicole Karr’s All-America performance in 1994 (24th).

“I thought it was a great effort in a brutally competitive meet,” Portland women’s cross country coach Ian Solof said. “It can be an overwhelming experience for anybody, even more so if you’re doing it for first time. She hung in there and had an impressive finish.”

Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech won the individual title with a time of 19:30.9, while the Stanford women won the team championship.

Morgan said she was surprised by the pace of the meet, but was happy with her effort.

“Everyone went out extremely fast, I’m not used to having so many go out so fast,” she said. “It was a bit shocking and I had trouble getting into a rhythm and getting relaxed. I felt like I ran hard though, and it’s definitely good to have nationals experience under my belt.”

At the halfway point of the race, Morgan was among the top 40 before falling out of the top 50. Solof said she picked off a few runners in the final 200 meters with a strong finish, a surprising notion to Morgan after the race.

“I was so tired that it was hard for me to tell how I was doing at end,” she said. “It actually felt like I was going pretty slow, but other people said it didn’t look too bad.”

Solof recognized the importance of the experience gained by Morgan and how close his team is to moving more prominently into the national scene.

“It was a good learning experience for Dana,” he said. “It’s tough to be out there alone without the team. She probably wasn’t feeling her absolute best, but she hung in there. Only being a sophomore, it is just going to get better and better for her down the road.”

Morgan was quick to point out how close the Pilots’ team is to being in the mix next year.

“I think we felt close as a team this year (in getting to nationals) and I have no doubt that we can compete in this environment,” she said. “Hopefully my showing here can be a positive for the team, but even before this result, I think we felt like we were getting close.”