Bigfork's Morley named Montana cross country runner of the year

For the third straight year, Bigfork junior Makena Morley has been named the Gatorade Montana girls cross country runner of the year. 

Morley had another sterling season, capping it with All-American honors and an eighth place finish at the Foot Locker National Championships last month. She also won the Foot Locker West regional championship and picked up her third straight Class B state championship, setting a state-record time of 16:35.31 at the race in Missoula. 

Through all that, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA, tops in her graduating class. 

“She is the best female runner in Montana,” said Flathead coach Paul Jorgensen in a press release. 

“She set course records on most courses she ran on in Montana. Morley also made it to the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships again and did well. Plus, she is a great kid who always has a smile on her face.”

The last Montana girl to win three straight Gatorade awards was Bozeman’s Heidi Turner from 2007-2009. Morley is the only non-Bozeman runner to win the award since its inception in 2007.