There's no keeping Kaleigh Morrison down (OR)

[rainbowgirl28]

Younger sister to Mike Morrison, their family moved out to Oregon a few years ago. She trains with Rick Baggett.

http://www.tigardtimes.com/sports/story ... 4793577800

There's just no keeping them down
Track: Tualatin's Kelly Millager and Tigard's Kaleigh Morrison are soaring to new heights
BY DAN BROOD
The Times, May 7, 2009, Updated 1.1 hours ago


DAN BROOD / THE TIMES
UP, UP AND AWAY — Tigard junior Kaleigh Morrison clears the pole vault bar set at 11 feet at Tuesday's meet. Morrison won that event as well as the long jump and the triple jump.

ADVERTISEMENTS

TIGARD – Kaleigh Morrison’s junior track and field season ended when she suffered a broken ankle at the Pacific Conference district meet.

At the end of the 2008-2009 basketball season, Kelly Millager’s back was hurting her so bad that she wasn’t sure she was up to competing in the spring.

Don’t look now, but Morrison and Millager, despite their past aches, pains and injuries, look to be among the top Class 6A track and field competitors in the state this year.

And Morrison, a Tigard High School junior, and Millager, a Tualatin High School senior, kept their successful seasons rolling Tuesday when the Tigers faced the Wolves in a Pacific Conference dual meet held at Tigard High School.

“I’m definitely excited about this season,” Millager said with a smile during Tuesday’s meet. “It’s been great.”

Meanwhile, Morrison seems to be back with plenty of motivation after missing out on getting to compete at the state meet last year.

“The season’s been going really good,” she said. “What happened last year fired me up for this year. It got me motivated.”

Her motivation showed in Tuesday’s meet. Morrison had first-place finishes in the long jump, triple jump and pole vault to help the Tigers score an 81-64 win over Tualatin. With the win, the Tigers finished the regular season with a 5-0 record in league dual meets. The Timberwolves finished the league dual meet season with a 3-2 record.

Morrison, last year at the league’s district meet, had qualified for state in all three jumping events and the pole vault before suffering her injury while finishing up the pole vault event. Despite her injury, Morrison accompanied her teammates to the state meet in Eugene, but she was already looking ahead to this season.

“As soon as it happened, I started looking forward to this year,” she said.

And she’s come back strong. Already this season, she’s set school records in the long jump (18 feet, 2½ inches), the triple jump (36-0) and the pole vault (11-6).

At Tuesday’s meet, she won the long jump with a mark of 16-10, she had a winning distance of 35-1 in the triple jump and she cleared 11-0 to take first in the pole vault. She took three tries at 11-7 in the pole vault, but came up just short of breaking her own school record in the event.

“I tried to set a PR (personal record) and a record,” Morrison said. “But I’m sort of in between poles right now.”

A new pole is on its way – and it could be put in use at the Pacific Conference district meet, which will be held May 14-15 at Linfield College in McMinnville. Morrison says she had no apprehension at all about returning to the site of last year’s injury.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “I’m hoping it all goes well. I’m not going to hold anything back. I’m going to let it all go.”