POLSON — As a sophomore, Polson’s Morgan Delaney took home the individual girls state title at the Class A cross country meet. Now that she knows what she can achieve individually, Delaney has set higher goals for the rest of her team.
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After ending her 2024 season strong with an 18:35 time at state, Delaney proved to herself and everyone else that she can be the runner to beat for the next two years.
To achieve such a high accomplishment, Delaney pushed her body and mind to the limit.
“I was honestly so exhausted I wasn’t thinking very much, didn’t really know what happened,” Delaney said. “My legs hurt so bad, My old babysitter was the PT and so she caught me at the line, which was pretty cool to see her, but I don’t remember the finish very much.”
This year, Polson cross country has introduced a new coach who wants to push Delaney and the rest of the team to new heights.
Luckily, the new coach knows just how far he can push his top runner — because he is also her father, Jason Delaney.
“Behind the scenes, I get to see both as dad and coach how much work she puts into it,” Jason Delaney said. “So it was really fun to see all that hard work pay off and see that she can pull off such a fun accomplishment.”
Now that Delaney knows she is capable of winning state, this year she hopes the rest of her team will have something to celebrate, as well.
“For me personally, I’m trying to focus more on the team, and we’re trying to place at state, possibly try to win state if we can,” Delaney said. “Personally, I’d rather do some great things as a team this year, and it’s really fun because we’re all just working together.”
Polson will begin the 2025 cross country season at the Libby Invite on Friday.
