Senior distance runner Liv Morganti wins the 3000m steeplechase at Penn Relays on Apr. 25.
Credit: Derek WongIt’s 7 p.m. on the first day of the 128th Penn Relays Carnival. The air is chilly, spectators are shivering, and after a morning packed with high school events, the college distance runners are finally stepping onto the track. While distance races might not be quite as stimulating for the spectators as the sprints, the upcoming race is sure to stop everyone in their tracks.
In her last year competing at the Penn Relays as a Quaker, senior distance runner Olivia Morganti recorded a show-stopping performance, earning her the DP Sports Moment of the Year Award.
Last Thursday, Morganti competed against 31 athletes in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The race didn’t appear to be anything special until the second half, when Morganti and two other competitors pulled ahead from the rest of the pack.
They maintained their lead and positioning until the last two laps, when Morganti sidled up to Penn State distance runner Makenna Krebs to battle for first place. The tension in Franklin Field continued to climb as Morganti finally pulled into the lead with 600 meters to go. From there, Morganti widened the gap with each stride, and the stadium went wild as she became the first female athlete to win an individual track event for the Quakers at the Penn Relays.
“Conservative early and aggressive late,” Morganti said of her strategy going into the race. “A little bit less than 800 meters to go … I knew I could run fast[er] and I just had to trust myself.”
Her final time, 9:57.94, set a new program record for Penn, a record previously held by herself, and moved Morganti up to 12th place in the NCAA rankings. Morganti has one more year of eligibility, which she plans to use at the University of Colorado at Boulder next year.
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