Name: Peter Morris
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Major/minors: Microbiology & Organizational/Professional Communications, Minor in Philosophy
Year at UWL and expected graduation date: Senior at UWL, expect to graduate next fall of 2016
How long have you been running (personally and academically)? I’ve been running since my Sophomore year of High school.
How long have you been on the UWL Track team? I first ran for UWL my freshman year on the track team, but took the next two years off to focus on triathlons. I came back this year (senior year) and did cross country. Now, I am about to start my track season.
Which events do you specialize in? In track, the 5k is my specialty.
Tell me about your experience on the UW-L Track team. How have you grown, what is your relationship with your teammates, etc.? It’s been a fun time. I’ve grown as a runner, but more so as a racer I would say. My mental growth has been more apparent to me than anything else. Nowadays I am calm as can be the night before a race all the way until I toe the line. I used to get super nervous before races and work myself up, not anymore. Most of my teammates (on the track team) are pretty cool guys. I don’t know all of them personally (as I was away for a couple years), but they are all great guys with a common goal. We work hard together and for each other, and it seems like some kind of extended family at times.
When does your season start and end? The Indoor season officially starts mid-January and runs through mid-March.
What goals do you have for yourself as a runner? As a team? My goals for myself are always to improve my abilities. I’d like to qualify for Indoor Nationals and potentially help my team win a National title. Team goals are to win WIAC Conference and NCAA Nationals.
What is your favorite part about Track (or running in general)? I like the team atmosphere. Workouts can be very hard mentally and physically at times, but having all the guys around working just as hard as you are makes it feel easy most of the time.
How did you become involved in Track? I started running track in high school for fun as a way to take a break from swimming. I realized I really enjoyed it and have stuck with it ever since.
Who is your biggest supporter? My Mom, without a doubt. She is there for me with anything and everything I need. In my entire life of swimming, running, or Triathlon competitions, she has only missed 1 of my races (literally, out of hundreds of competitions).
Are you involved with anything else outside of Track? Track practice on top of classes keeps me very, very busy during the season. I do find some time to teach swim lessons to kids at the YMCA here in La Crosse, which is pretty fun and rewarding.
Where do you see yourself in a couple of years? What are your plans for after graduation? In a couple of years I’d like to still be living in the Midwest, maybe even in Wisconsin, and ideally I will have a job with a medical sales company, which is what I’m going for.
Will you continue running? Yes, I think running is a sport that will never leave me no matter how old I get.