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Bigfork’s Makena Morley Earns All-America Honors

Sophomore at University of Colorado finishes 11th in 10,000-meter run at NCAA Championships

By Andy Viano
Makena Morley competes at the 2015 Class B state track and field championships at Legends Stadium in Kalispell. Beacon File Photo

Bigfork native Makena Morley is once again an All-American.

The sophomore at the University of Colorado finished 11th in the 10,000-meters at the NCAA Division I Championships on June 7 in Eugene, Oregon, landing on the All-America second team for the first time in her outdoor track career. Morley crossed the line in 33:28.66 and was one of three Buffaloes to finish in the top 11. Colorado’s Kaitlyn Brenner was seventh and Erin Clark came in ninth.

Morley was one of only four underclassmen to claim an All-America spot. Louisville freshman Dorcas Wasike was second, Notre Dame sophomore Anna Rohrer finished sixth and Clare O’Brien, a sophomore at Boise State, checked in behind Morley in 12th.

Morley began her collegiate career at the University of Montana, winning the Big Sky Conference cross country title as a freshman before transferring out of the program. At Colorado, she qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5K and 10K in 2017 , and was a Second Team All-American in the 5K during the 2017 indoor season.

At Bigfork High School, Morley won four consecutive Class B state cross country championships and was the four-time Gatorade Montana Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year. She is the oldest of three siblings, all of whom high school won state championships for the Vikings and Valkyries. Her brother, Logan, is currently running at Colorado State-Pueblo and her sister, Bryn, recently graduated from high school and will compete at Northern Arizona University next year.

The NCAA Division I National Championships continue through Saturday.