Gordon and Weiers sign to run at next level

After helping the Morgan Girls’ Track Team win their first state championship on Saturday, May 20, Trojan seniors Grace Gordon and Alexis Weiers chose Monday, May 22 to officially sign their letters of intent to continue their running careers.  In a ceremony attended by many of their teammates, coaches and family members, Gordon and Weiers inked their plans for the future.  

Gordon will further her running experience at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado and will compete in the Division I Mountain West Conference while Weiers will travel farther east to run for Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.  The Yellow Jackets, a Division II program, compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

After successful four-year careers at Morgan HIgh, both athletes are excited to take their talents to the next level. 

Gordon, the daughter of Scott and Kerrie Gordon, has been exploring collegiate track and field opportunities for several years.  “Between my sophomore and junior year I attended several track camps, and Colorado State was one of them.  Then, during my junior track season, I knew I wanted to run in college, so I emailed the CSU coach, and we hit it off,” she explained.

“I’m really excited to go run at CSU,” Gordon continued.  “I’m excited to be part of the culture and family of the track team there.  The coach has been really great.  He called me up after state and congratulated me on how I did.”

Gordon plans to study environmental science or social work.  She remarked, “I either want to help the environment or help people.  I’m not sure which one, but I want to help.”

Gordon and Weiers have spent the last four years helping the Morgan High cross country and track teams reach high levels of success.  Weiers and the cross country team won state championships in 2019 and 2020 while Gordon and Weiers as members of the track team won four consecutive Region 13 titles along with their state championship in 2023 and second place finishes in 2021 and 2022.  Individually, Gordon won the 400m state title her junior and senior years and finished second her sophomore year.  Weiers was the Trojans’ top finisher at the state cross country championships last fall.

Gordon detailed how the Morgan coaches, Brennen Fuller and Bryan Weir, and the program have helped her develop as an athlete.  “The most important thing that helped me prepare to compete at the next level was to know my goals and to have help to achieve them.”

“Before each season, I sat down with Coach Fuller and wrote down what I wanted to accomplish, and it helped so much for me to have others like Fuller and Coach Weir who knew my goals and helped me be accountable for achieving them.  Also, I can’t say enough about my teammates, the culture and family of the track team at Morgan.  They are the best and are the reason I’m able to do so much.”

In addition, Gordon discussed how attending large out-of-state meets helped her develop as an athlete.  “Being able to attend the national meet, Arcadia, my junior and senior years was so helpful.  To compete against the best of the best and to put myself in there…it was just that much more to learn and take in.  I am so grateful for these experiences.”

Gordon leaves Morgan High with nine school records, five in swimming and four in track: 400m, medley relay, 4x400 relay and the heptathlon.  This year in her final 400m race, she recorded a new personal record and broke her own school record of 57.1 by running a 56.94 in her favorite race.  

“The other athletes give me a hard time and say ‘Grace, you’re crazy’ to love the 400, but the 400 is definitely my favorite!”  she excitedly effused.  The 400m race is a sprint once around the entire track, and often it is considered the longest sprint in track and field.

In her final event as a high school athlete, Gordon ran the final leg of the 400m relay, coming from behind to finish first with her team and cap off an amazing high school career.  Her time, if it could have been counted as official, would have been “high 55s.” Gordon said, “I was running for my family, my team, and I didn’t want to let them down.”

Gordon credits teammates Lucy Tripp and Weiers as support along the way.  “It has been so great to sign and go through the college process with Alexis, and Lucy has been such a great support this season in my events”

In addition to her coaches, she also praised MHS English teachers Shasta Breshears and Gwen Romeo as mentors in her education.  “Shasta Breshears helped me come out of my shell my 9th and 10th grade years, and Gwen Romeo showed me how much I could push myself in the classroom the past two years.”