FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 16, 2020) - Raised in a family full of runners, Bryn Morley's passion for running began at a young age.
In the fourth grade, Bryn watched as her older sister Makena joined the cross country team and had considerable success in doing so. This is when Bryn's interest in running first sparked.
"I saw that she was successful and was winning a bunch of races and I thought 'Oh that would be fun'," Bryn said. "So, we started doing 5K's every summer and that's how I got started."
Bryn's brother Logan and her sister Makena also ran competitively at the collegiate level at Montana State University and Colorado University respectively, and their shared passion of running only brought them all closer than they already were.
An eight-time All-American on the track, Makena also wrapped up her cross country career with an eighth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships, helping secure the Buffaloes' third national title.
"I think running has brought us even closer as siblings," Bryn said. "It's been really good for me and my sister once we got past the competitive part of it, we can always be there to motivate each other with running."
Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mike Smith and the impressive program he has put together provided an irresistible offer for Morley. She explained how effortless it was to gel with her new team in her first season at Northern Arizona University.
"I never really had a team in high school," Morley said. "Getting to come here and have a team was really awesome and it was easy for me to fit in."
Having already competed in multiple national meets in high school, Morley felt prepared for all that being a college runner included. However, Morley emphasizes the difficulty of being away from her family through it all.
"My dad was basically my coach in high school, and I got really reliant on him being at my races," Morley said. "My freshman year, I felt a little bit lost without my family, but my coaches and teammates were always there."
After enduring a few injuries since starting her career at NAU, Morley has noticed a lot of growth in her mental strength and perseverance. Morley dealt with a few injuries throughout her high school career as well, and now believes she is able to bounce back mentally much quicker than she could throughout high school.
"I think that a lot of it comes down to the help of Coach Smith," Morley said. "After getting injured for the first time in college, I was able to come back a lot quicker and make sure I was mentally strong for races."
Running in her first career Big Sky Conference championship meet, Morley finished seventh in the 800m and sixth in the mile, helping the Lumberjacks edge the Sacramento State Hornets by just 2.5 points for the indoor title this past spring.
Morley hasn't been able to take a full crack at the goals she has set for herself due to the fact that she has yet to compete in an outdoor season. However, she feels prepared to go after those goals in the season ahead. Morley's ambitions for the upcoming campaign include competing at nationals with the cross country team, as well as some personal goals of new PRs in the mile and 1500 meter.
