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Former Indians standout places first in shot put
Morris helps WCU to win at Southern Conference finals.
By CHRIS WHITE
cwhite@lakecityreporter.com
After traveling nearly
500 miles to attend Western Carolina University on a track and field scholarship, Fort White High alum Patrick Morris’ next goal is only inches away.
“I’m really trying to break my school’s record in the shot put,” Morris said. “It’s only at about 52 feet, and I’m about two feet short of that.”
Morris might have found another way to keep his name popping up in track and field circles.
The freshman won first place in the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 29 in Clemson, S.C.
Morris’ 15.32-meter toss
(50 feet, 3.25 inches) earned him a first-place finish over competitors from Appalachian State, Michigan State, Citadel, Wofford and Davidson universities.
When the results came in, Morris said he was not
surprised to place but was caught off guard by the
first-place finish.
“I went in there thinking I could place, maybe get fourth,” he said. “When I found out I ended up winning it, I was pretty surprised. We were
having a good time, and I
was really excited to be part of it.”
The team points Morris earned helped Western Carolina to a team win in the 17-event competition. The Catamounts scored
263 points, just enough to edge Appalachian State, which scored 256.50.
Third place, University of Tennessee at Chatanooga, scored 47 points, and none of the other teams broke 40.
The performance also earned Morris All Southern Conference honors.
In addition to year-round practices and four-hour
training sessions, the demand to do well at meets is much higher at the college level, Morris said. But the
adjustments were taken in stride by the track
standout once lauded by Fort White coaches as one of
the area’s hardest-working
athletes.
“It’s been a lot different
than anything I saw in high school,” Morris said. “We’ve had meets against some big schools like
Ohio State, Michigan State and Appalachian State. It took a while to get used to, but
it’s just like high school now. You get used to it.”
Morris placed second
in the shot put (17.06 m)
in last year’s high
school state finals and
finished 12th in the discus (48.12 m).
500 miles to attend Western Carolina University on a track and field scholarship, Fort White High alum Patrick Morris’ next goal is only inches away.
“I’m really trying to break my school’s record in the shot put,” Morris said. “It’s only at about 52 feet, and I’m about two feet short of that.”
Morris might have found another way to keep his name popping up in track and field circles.
The freshman won first place in the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 29 in Clemson, S.C.
Morris’ 15.32-meter toss
(50 feet, 3.25 inches) earned him a first-place finish over competitors from Appalachian State, Michigan State, Citadel, Wofford and Davidson universities.
When the results came in, Morris said he was not
surprised to place but was caught off guard by the
first-place finish.
“I went in there thinking I could place, maybe get fourth,” he said. “When I found out I ended up winning it, I was pretty surprised. We were
having a good time, and I
was really excited to be part of it.”
The team points Morris earned helped Western Carolina to a team win in the 17-event competition. The Catamounts scored
263 points, just enough to edge Appalachian State, which scored 256.50.
Third place, University of Tennessee at Chatanooga, scored 47 points, and none of the other teams broke 40.
The performance also earned Morris All Southern Conference honors.
In addition to year-round practices and four-hour
training sessions, the demand to do well at meets is much higher at the college level, Morris said. But the
adjustments were taken in stride by the track
standout once lauded by Fort White coaches as one of
the area’s hardest-working
athletes.
“It’s been a lot different
than anything I saw in high school,” Morris said. “We’ve had meets against some big schools like
Ohio State, Michigan State and Appalachian State. It took a while to get used to, but
it’s just like high school now. You get used to it.”
Morris placed second
in the shot put (17.06 m)
in last year’s high
school state finals and
finished 12th in the discus (48.12 m).
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