Decorated Senior Helps Lead Cross Country Team To High Ranking

Senior Morgan Ede has earned enough accolades to make her one of the most accomplished athletes on the cross country team. As a two-time all-conference athlete in cross country and a four-time all-conference athlete in track, Morgan has set high goals for herself and her team this season. The energetic senior, as well as her team, have gotten off to a hot start, which is why she is this week's Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

Morgan's interest in running is genetic, getting her start by tagging along with her mom, Tracy, on her runs. "My passion is running and I have stressed to [Morgan] that it is an activity that I thoroughly enjoy doing throughout my life," says Tracy. She goes on to add, "One of my favorite memories is when Morgan, Molly (Morgan's sister), and I would run 5k races together. Morgan has such competitiveness as a runner and works extremely hard to improve her race times which is very fun to watch as a parent."

As her head coach in cross country and position coach in track, Lisa Cook has been able to watch Morgan grow into the leader and runner she is today. "As a freshman, Morgan impressed us with her racing instincts and her mental toughness," says Lisa. She goes on to say, "Over the past 3 years, Morgan has become not only faster and stronger but more confident and consistent."

Assistant coach Steve Ideran echoes those sentiments, saying, "Since running varsity at the end of her freshman cross season, Morgan has been one of the most consistent and decorated distance runners in OE history. She brings fantastic energy and joy to our team, all while working to get better and faster every year."

While cross country is often looked at as an individual sport, Morgan and her teammates do not see it that way. "Cross country has such a team atmosphere as everyone is supportive and knows exactly what you are going through," says Morgan.

Last season the team has a disappointing end by failing to qualify for the sectional tournament. While Morgan and her teammate Maddie Zarembski qualified as individuals, the shock and disappointment of not qualifying as a team have helped motivate the team to the highest ranking in school history this season.

"The rankings are a huge compliment, but they are just opinions on how good our team could be," says Lisa. She goes on to add, "We have talked about our disappointing end to the team season last year, but we are focused on putting those lessons learned into action in practice and in races. Morgan and the other returning runners know what that day felt like, and they learned that in a high stakes meet in our competitive area, you have to show up and compete at your best or you don't advance."

Morgan has found success individually this season as she placed 12th in the 2019 season-opening invite at Hinsdale Central where the team placed 4th overall. Despite an individual goal of qualifying for state again this season, Morgan's focus is more team-orientated, saying, "We want to qualify for state as a team this year, and hopefully have a top-15 finish." Morgan adds, "It felt much different qualifying for sectionals as an individual last season, and I want to be able to have that experience with my team this season."

Having earned a 3.9 G.P.A. and 1250 on her SAT, Morgan has her sights set on attending college and majoring in education. Her Honors Earth and Space teacher and head track coach, Connor Downs, believes she will find a great deal of success in this field, saying, "[Morgan] is very intelligent and approaches things outside the norm. I could see her succeeding in any field, but her caring, nurturing sense will help her succeed greatly in the field of education."

Morgan also has hopes of competing at the collegiate level, something Lisa Cook believes she can have a great deal of success doing, saying, "Morgan has all the intangible qualities necessary to be a great collegiate runner. I know she is looking at a few schools right now, and I believe she will be an asset to any program she joins."

Earning high accolades and awards in athletics has been rewarding for Morgan, but for her parents Chris and Tracy, it is the person Morgan has become that is most rewarding. "We are proud of her ability to be her own person," says her father Chris. He goes on to add, "She understands who she is, what her goals are, and how to achieve them. She shows compassion and uses humor in a way that puts others at ease."

Having an opportunity to watch their daughters compete together is something the Ede's have also found great joy with, saying, "Our girls have a special bond that we can't clearly express," says Tracy. She goes on to add, "They consistently will be the first to support each other socially, academically, and are the first to cheer for one another."

Setting their sight's on the state tournament, the girl's track team have an opportunity to have the highest finish in school history. Morgan understands how much running has helped shape her into the person she is and advises future Wolves to follow a similar path, saying, "Get involved in as many activities as you can to meet people because the time goes by very fast." Morgan and her teammates are hoping for the opposite, extending their season as long as possible with by qualifying for state and leaving their mark on OE athletic history.