Foot Locker National Championships is home away from home for Montana's Makena Morley

On a West girls team with seven California athletes, four-time national finalist is no stranger to San Diego course

By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

Makena Morley's familiarity with the Foot Locker National Championships extends well beyond the name of the course.

The Bigfork High senior became the first Montana runner since Zoe Nelson (2001-04) to secure a fourth consecutive trip to the national final and the 24th female in the meet's 36-year history after winning back-to-back Foot Locker West Regional titles Dec. 6 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.

The University of Montana signee will attempt to become a three-time All-American when she races at 9:15 a.m. Saturday at Balboa Park's Morley Field in San Diego. She is the only returnee on the West girls roster, which features seven runners from California.

"I haven't really thought about it that 'Wow, this is my fourth time.' I'm just super happy to be able to go for my fourth time," Morley said. "Foot Locker does such an amazing job and nationals is such an awesome experience. It's probably one of the best moments of my life, so I'm excited to be here again."

Morley is one of four returning All-Americans from last year's meet following an eighth-place finish. She also earned All-America honors -- recognition awarded to the top 15 runners in each gender -- after placing ninth as a freshman, with a 24th-place result in between in 2012.

Nelson, who attended Flathead High in Kalispell, is the only Montana runner to win a national title in 2002, before going on to compete at University of Oregon.

That has added extra incentive for Morley after clocking 17:33.5 to repeat as West champion, the No. 4 all-time regional mark on the 5-kilometer Mt. SAC layout.

"I'm excited that I won (regionals), but (nationals) is definitely the main goal," Morley said. "I didn't want to kill myself because nationals is the big thing."

Not only is Morley the only four-time finalist among the 40 female runners in this year's championship race, but she also has the distinction of having a younger sibling competing, as freshman sister Bryn also advanced to compete Saturday after placing sixth at the regionals.

"I knew in my mind from the beginning that I was going to make it, so I just kept telling myself that I needed to make it," Bryn Morley said. "I've always gone down there and watched it and I've always really wanted to race it and be at the awards banquet."

Along with the Morley sisters, freshman Annie Hill from Glacier High in Kalispell also qualified for the national final after a fourth-place regional finish, marking the first time Montana has three girls competing in the championship.

"I want to represent Montana well," Makena Morley said. "We've never had three girls from Montana at nationals. We've had two, but three is amazing and two freshmen, so hopefully they can keep going. I'm so excited to have my friends there that I know and my sister. It will be exciting."

Minnesota-based twins Megan and Bethany Hasz of Jefferson High both earned All-America honors with top-10 finishes Dec. 6 at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon, with sisters Dani and Baylee Jones leading Desert Vista of Arizona to a fifth-place finish at Glendoveer Golf Course. Dani Jones placed third individually in Portland.

The Morley sisters are looking to add to their legacy with an impressive showcase of their own at Morley Field.

"I was so excited this year to have my sister hopefully come, and now that she is, it's awesome," Makena Morley said. "Words can't really explain it until you are there. I try to tell her all about it but once she's there, she'll see it, it's amazing."