Morgan McAndrew started club track in 4th grade. One memory I fondly remember is when I’d go to Morgan’s house after school in 7th and 8th grade. We’d do homework together and watch YouTube and I remember Morgan going back to Ladera Vista after school to run laps around the field. She was 13. I remember this because thinking back on it, not a lot of 7th graders had the motivation to finish their homework and then train on their own. From the jump, Morgan had that ambition to be the best at what she did. However, not just the best in one thing. Morgan excelled in a variety of sports and extracurricular activities but focused mainly on track.
When Morgan reached high school, she was a four-time varsity athlete involved in track, cross country, swimming, and water polo. But that’s not all. Morgan made the decision before her freshman year that she would not only be in sports, but also a leader in ASB, a member of the community service group Assisteens, a Girl Scout, an employee for some time, and a friend who lots of people look up to.
It was certainly a handful to balance. When asking Morgan how she endured it all, she explained that she rarely had free time, but she found joy in always doing something.
“I didn’t like not doing anything. I wanted to move. I was an antsy kid. I always wanted to do stuff,” McAndrew said.
Not a surprise, but Morgan found herself often-crazed with everything going on because she had so many things going on at once. During her freshman and sophomore years, Morgan was fully dedicated to both swimming and track (same season), so things were especially hectic then. Most times Morgan found herself attending a water polo practice and then putting her running shoes on and going for a run after to stay in shape for track or cross country.
Morgan’s dedication to all of her sports in high school reflects her hard work ethic and motivation to be successful.
“I craved like success. I wanted to be the best, specifically in running. I wanted to break as many records as I could. Once I broke those records, it was how can I break them more?,” McAndrew said.
Currently, Morgan holds the record for Fullerton High School in multiple events. Morgan broke the school record for the women’s 800 when she got 2:23 this year, the women’s 1600 when she got 5:21 last year, the women’s 4×800 relay this year with a time of 9:59, and the record for cross country with a time of 18:01. 4 records in one high school career is incredibly impressive.
However, Morgan’s accomplishments didn’t come easy. Track and Field tends to be a sport that’s huge on having the right mentality. Morgan often found herself beating herself up for not getting the time she wanted and questioned why she wasn’t improving the way she anticipated. In her senior year, her mindset switched.
“I had a sense that this was my last year. Whatever happens, happens. There’s nothing I can change about it. The only thing I can do is better next time. And that’s different from last year because last year I was like, gosh, why am I not getting better? How come I didn’t do well in this race? Last year I thought I was running in college, so I thought I had to do everything I could. This year was different since I only had a certain amount of time left and I wasn’t going to take any of it for granted like I did last year,” McAndrew said.
Talking to the track and field coach, James Krawczyk, he expressed how involved Morgan is and the spark she gave the program.
“Morgan came into cross country and distance track at a time when it needed a spark. Her being able to perform at such a high level as a freshman helped inspire the other girls and make it the best team in school history. Morgan is always positive and has a ‘what you need done coach’ attitude,” Coach Krawczyk said.
As a well-rounded senior Morgan has also inspired many freshman students. Freshman Ella Casto met Morgan last summer in Cross Country camp and instantly clicked with Morgan. Ever since then, Ella has looked up to Morgan and admired her contagious personality and ability to connect with all sorts of people. When it comes to running, Morgan is the best in her class, so Ella made it her goal to be like that one day.
“Morgan is like an older sister to me… I want to be my classes Morgan,” Casto said.
