LIZ MORSE

Steve Virgen

Perhaps as fate would have it, Liz Morse stumbled upon running while

trying to find an activity to fulfill her off-season soccer needs.

As an eighth-grader at Corona del Mar Intermediate, she was

prepared to enroll into the high school’s soccer class for her

freshman year. But she opted to go out for cross country instead.

“That’s where I met Coach [Bill] Sumner and he pulled me into the

whole running world,” Morse said. “I don’t know if you could use the

word, ‘enjoy,’ for cross country. But I liked working with Sumner.

Cross country was one of my passions in high school.”

Also in high school, track and field, particularly the 800 meters,

became Morse’s favorite. She had the strength to take on the race

that requires an extraordinary amount of stamina for the two laps. In

her senior track and field season, the spring of 2000, Morse

displayed her strength.

She won the CIF State championship in the 800, clocking a 2:08.16,

which was then the best time in the nation by a prep competitor. The

championship and the time, solidified Morse as one of the top female

runners in Corona del Mar’s rich history.

“[Winning the state championship] was a goal I had since my

freshman year,” Morse said. “I did well my freshman year, but I

didn’t know anything about track. I made it to the state meet, and

since that time it was always a goal to win it. I was very happy to

do it. I had to miss my senior prom, so I was happy to win it.”

In February of 2000, Morse ran the fastest indoor time by a female

high school athlete in the 800 of the Los Angeles Invitational. She

finished the race in 2:10.26.

“I was shocked,” Morse said. “I was in a college race. I didn’t

expect to do very well in it. I was very excited. I had a feeling it

was going to be a good race. I had a good start.”

Among other highlights for Morse included, helping lead the CdM

girls cross country team to the state championship in the fall of

1999. Morse said she enjoyed that championship because her younger

sister, Katherine, was also on the team.

In her senior season of track and field, she also won the CIF

Southern Section Division title in the 800, as well as the section’s

Masters Meet championship in the 800. She also won the 400 to help

the Sea Kings win the team title, and anchored the victorious 1,600

relay.

She was also the Pacific Coast League champion in the 400 and 800,

as CdM earned the league title. She won the 200, 400, 800 and

contributed to the winning 1,600 relay at the Orange County

championships. She won the 800 at the prestigious Arcadia

Invitational.

After high school, Morse went on to compete at Princeton, where

she majored in history. Last week, she graduated.

“I ran all four years,” Morse said. “I had many ups and downs. My

senior season was my best season. It was my first full season of my

college career. I was finally healthy.”

Morse said she battled illnesses, including pneumonia, and broke

her elbow her freshman year. She had mononucleosis in her sophomore

year and her junior year was beset by a stress fracture in her femur.

There are no redshirt years at Princeton, and Morse instead,

concentrated on her academics.

“My senior year, I completely changed my attitude and

prospective,” Morse said. “I used track as a means of what I

accomplished in college, overall. I just had fun with track for the

first time in a long time.”

Morse said she enjoyed her time in college. The latest honoree of

the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame is 22 and lives in Manhattan,

N.Y. She is starting a new job this week in a firm that recruits

financial specialists.

“I was very happy with my college experience,” Morse said. “It

helped me change my priorities and how I define myself. By my senior

year, I changed my focus. I was no longer defined by what I

accomplished on the track, but defined by what I did academically.”

Morse credited Sumner and former track and field coach Jim Tomlin

as people who influenced her life greatly. Tomlin was Morse’s advance

placement U.S. history teacher.

Sumner molded Morse into a great runner.

“He is like my second father,” Morse said of Sumner. “He would

make more strict rules than my parents did during the season. But I

can’t even describe how much he has meant to me. He has been an

incredible force in my life.”