On Saturday Nov. 20, senior Shannon Morris represented Oberlin College at the national level. The National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Cross Country Championships took place in Colfax, Wis., at the Whitetail Golf Course.

Morris, the co-captain of the women’s cross country team, finished the 6000-meter race in 23:00.40, good for 75th place in the nation. “Her 75th place finish would have made her a scoring member of any team in the country,” said Head Coach Ray Appenheimer.

Finishing two-tenths of a second behind her was senior Leah Shouey of Allegheny College and one second ahead of DePauw University junior Leslie Dillon, Morris was the third finisher in the North Coast Athletic Conference, just four seconds behind NCAC champion Christine Collins from Denison University.

“Both Shannon and I were really happy with how she ran at Nationals. The experience is unlike any other,” said Appenheimer. “Imagine lining up next to 220 of the best runners in the country. It was the deepest and most talented field of runners Shannon has likely ever run against.”

“It was really fast from the beginning, but all of the energy around was incredible and I felt strong the entire time, and was actually noticeably enjoying myself during the entire race,” said Morris.

Although Morris was the lone runner to represent Oberlin, she received a swell of support from the cross country team back at home.

“Ray Appenheimer was great at calming me down beforehand because it’s a lot different going to something like this alone after being with a team the entire year —although the women’s team rocked by sending lots of notes and calling the night before so I didn’t feel lonely,” said Morris.

Morris noted that the workouts she had been doing all season had prepared her for this final race of her collegiate career, and she worked with Appenheimer to set out a race plan that Morris was comfortable with. “He’s been a great motivator all year,” said Morris.

“Shannon’s running is really at a different level now, higher than it has ever been. She has been and will continue to be a great leader for this program,” said Appenheimer, “I really hope the other runners on the team can look at her growth this year and say to themselves: Why not me?”

When asked how the future of women’s cross country looked pending Morris’s graduation this spring, Appenheimer said, “Shannon’s competing on the national level is a sign of where this program is going. In the years to come we look to compete not only among the best teams in the conference, but ultimately among the best teams in the country.”