Morris earns recognition from Big Sky Conference
5/10/2021 3:56:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Junior thrower Tanessa Morris has been named this week's Big Sky Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week. She earned the honor after winning the Tom Gage Classic with a hammer throw of 202 feet, 1 inch.
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Morris, who is in her first season competing at Montana after beginning her collegiate career at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, has had a season to remember. She has won the hammer throw in six of the seven meets she has competed in, many times by a wide margin.
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Last week in Bozeman, however, she took her game to another level.
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Her throw of 202-1 was a personal best by nearly 10 feet and is the farthest throw in the Big Sky Conference this season. She enters this week's Big Sky Championships as the favorite to win the hammer throw, but on top of that, she is now in strong position to qualify for NCAA Regionals, which will take place later this month. Entering last week, Morris ranked 43rd in the NCAA West Region. Following last week's performance, she now ranks 23rd. The top 48 athletes in the West Region will qualify for regionals.
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Morris has her sights set on a Big Sky Conference title this week and an NCAA Regionals berth later this month, but she also has her eyes on Montana's school record. With her throw last week, she became the second women's thrower to reach 200 feet in Montana history. She now sits in second place on the school's all-time list, only behind Hana Feilzer, who won Big Sky Conference hammer throw titles in 2017 and 2019 and qualified for nationals in 2019, the same year she set the school mark of 209-10.
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Morris' distance from last week would have placed 10th at the 2019 NCAA West Regional – the most-recent competition, when Feilzer qualified for nationals – which also would have punched Morris' ticket to the NCAA Championships.
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For more on Morris, click here for a feature story from earlier this spring.
Â
Morris, who is in her first season competing at Montana after beginning her collegiate career at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, has had a season to remember. She has won the hammer throw in six of the seven meets she has competed in, many times by a wide margin.
Â
Last week in Bozeman, however, she took her game to another level.
Â
Her throw of 202-1 was a personal best by nearly 10 feet and is the farthest throw in the Big Sky Conference this season. She enters this week's Big Sky Championships as the favorite to win the hammer throw, but on top of that, she is now in strong position to qualify for NCAA Regionals, which will take place later this month. Entering last week, Morris ranked 43rd in the NCAA West Region. Following last week's performance, she now ranks 23rd. The top 48 athletes in the West Region will qualify for regionals.
Â
Morris has her sights set on a Big Sky Conference title this week and an NCAA Regionals berth later this month, but she also has her eyes on Montana's school record. With her throw last week, she became the second women's thrower to reach 200 feet in Montana history. She now sits in second place on the school's all-time list, only behind Hana Feilzer, who won Big Sky Conference hammer throw titles in 2017 and 2019 and qualified for nationals in 2019, the same year she set the school mark of 209-10.
Â
Morris' distance from last week would have placed 10th at the 2019 NCAA West Regional – the most-recent competition, when Feilzer qualified for nationals – which also would have punched Morris' ticket to the NCAA Championships.
Â
For more on Morris, click here for a feature story from earlier this spring.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
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