Sarah Morgan
Sarah attended college from 2000 to 2004 – and never stopped running. She won every long distance race at the athletic sports, the cross country, Thames Valley and Waikato Championships and many New Zealand titles. She was a machine – that trained hard!!
After five years and NCEA Level 3 qualifications, Sarah headed to Providence College, Rhode Island, USA on an athletics scholarship for four years. While training and competing, Sarah graduated from Providence College with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology. On her return to New Zealand she headed to Waikato University where she completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Primary Teaching.
As well as studying for her Teaching Diploma she has worked as a Receptionist at Metso Minerals, a Salesperson at RD1, at Redoubt Bar and Eatery and in 2011 taught for three terms at Matamata Primary School.
Sarah was selected on numerous occasions to compete overseas. She was only 16 when selected to participate in the Australian National Cross Country Championships on two occasions (2003-2004). In 2003, Sarah won bronze in these championships. The following year Sarah was selected for the W19 championship but ran up a grade and entered the W23 event in which she won gold. Also in 2004 Sarah was a member of the Commonwealth Youth Games team which competed in Bendigo, Australia. Here Sarah won silver in the 3000m.
In Year 12 she travelled to Belgium to take part in the World Cross Country Championships, where she placed 44th. In 2005 Sarah travelled to the World Cross Country in Saint Etienne, France.
All this participation and travel resulted in much success. Sarah holds 12 national titles in cross country and athletics in New Zealand. These include W16 NZ road race champion in 2002. In 2003 she was Senior Girls NZSS Cross Country champion, New Zealand W17 cross country champion, New Zealand W19 Road Race champion, and New Zealand Senior Girls 3000m champion. In 2004, New Zealand W20 3000m champion, New Zealand W20 Mountain Running champion, NZSS Senior Girls Cross Country champion, New Zealand W19 Cross Country champion, New Zealand W19 Road Race champion and won the Australia National U23 Cross Country championships.
While in USA Sarah won the “All Big East” honours in track and field 10,000 in 2009 and New England Honours in Cross Country (top 15) in 2008. Sarah was also selected to compete for her Providence team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2007 and 2008. In her very first year at Providence College, Sarah was involved in an accident where she was hit by a car while out training. She suffered a shoulder injury and was out of training and competition for three months. Later in 2008, she suffered a fracture to her ankle which also put her out of training for two months. These two injuries meant inconsistency in training which she struggled with, but eventually managed to make a comeback in her final year.
Presently Sarah is teaching Year 3-4 at Matamata Primary School. Her ambition is to get back into competitive running within the next two years and her plan is to run half marathons (and possibly a full marathon).