Katie Morgan article (Cal)

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http://www.dailycal.org/article/101948/captain_morgan

Captain Morgan
What's Golden -- Rising Senior Katie Morgan Blends Natural Talents and Mental Fortitude, Overcoming Knee Injuries for Top Honors in NCAAs



By MUSTAFA SHAIKH
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Monday, June 23, 2008
Category: Sports > Spring > Track and Field


Standing atop of the podium after the women's pole vault finals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships was a most unexpected face.

If you went around asking pole vaulters who would win, the name Katie Morgan would not have come up -- that includes asking Morgan herself.

"I came into the meet thinking I wanted to be top-eight," says Morgan, a rising senior at Cal. "I wanted to be All-American just like my 4x100 teammates. Once I realized that I was on top there, I just thought, 'This is so unreal.' I never expected to win it."

For Morgan, just getting to nationals, let alone winning an NCAA title, was a remarkable accomplishment.

A high school All-American, Morgan showed early promise during her collegiate career. During only her fourth meet as a Bear, Morgan broke the freshman record with a jump of 13 feet, 0.25 inches.

However, her outstanding progress came to an abrupt end when she underwent knee surgery at the end of her freshman year.

"(The doctors) told me 3 months (of rehab)," says Morgan. "I figured that would be the summer, and I'd be ready for the 2006 season, but it never got better."

Morgan was forced to redshirt that year and also had to sit out the majority of an additional season in 2007 when the knee failed to significantly improve.

To make sure the 2008 season was not a repeat of the previous two years, pole vaulting coach Scott Slover tweaked Morgan's takeoff.

"Our main goal was to get through a season without her knee bothering her," says Slover. "Some technical changes we made with her takeoff position really relieved some stress off of her knee, and that made it easier for her to train and come back from jump sessions and meets."

Still, the change in takeoff position did not immediately click for Morgan, but rather took several meets to get a hold of.

"At the beginning of the year, especially during indoors, I was in a lot of pain, and I didn't know if I was going to make it through the year," says Morgan. "Once ... I got what he was saying ... I noticed a huge change, and then I could walk after I jump."

Perfection. That was the case during the pole vault finals through the first four heights for Morgan. No other competitor was able to reach the height of 13-9.25 without missing at least one bar. Since no one was able to hit the next bar, Morgan was declared the winner.


The extraordinary performance might not have been possible without the help of the freshman class.

'The dynamic is very different than any other year," says Morgan. "I knew that I had to work hard to not have these freshman beat me ... Having training partners is huge when you're at this level. I really didn't realize that until I got some."

Slover speaks quite highly of the environment that has been created by the freshmen trio of Cyrena Giordano, Veronica Stimson and Allison Stokke. Both Giordano and Stokke are able to reach 13 feet.

"Having that kind of crew behind Katie is a huge thing," says Slover. "The intensity of the workouts (and practices) are higher."

Walking into Drake Stadium, the first thing Slover noticed, much to his liking, were strong headwinds. From that point forward he was confident that a first-place finish was well within Morgan's grasp.

The top college pole vaulters all had higher personal bests than Morgan, but they could not deal with winds nearly as well as she.

"She's so tough mentally," says Slover. "And that's what it takes in those big meets with bad conditions."

Morgan didn't come into Cal with that mindset. Instead, she gained it on the sidelines while nursing her knee.

"I never used to be (mentally tough), but I've kind of come of age," says Morgan. "I sat out for two years and watched people jump, and it really made me upset that I was not able to be out there. I knew that when I jumped, I wanted to make every jump worthwhile. I didn't take anything for granted."

Making every single jump meaningful led to a high degree of consistency for Morgan throughout the season. Week in and week out, she made a habit of breaking the school record to where it stands now at 13-11.75.

As said before, team support has always been a sizeable factor for Morgan, and it was no different on the day of the pole vault finals. While she was waiting in the hotel lobby, Slover said senior Alysia Johnson gave Morgan a kiss on the cheek and said, "Good luck."

After Morgan captured the NCAA crown, Cal athletes could be lining up to get the same blessing from Morgan next year.

"Going to nationals and having that experience, I just want all of them to have that," says Morgan. "I just hope that they see how hard I've worked and the things I've been through to get to that level as well so we can all share it."