Morgan Pearson

Position:
Distance
Height:
5-11
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
New Vernon, N.J.
High School:
Morristown/Duke

PERSONAL BESTS
Indoor
3,000-Meters: 7:51.93 (2015)
5,000-Meters: 13:43.37 (2015)
Outdoor
800-Meters: 1:52.89 (2015)
1,500-Meters: 3:43.31 (2015)
5,000-Meters: 13:36.22 (2015)
10,000-Meters: 29:41.84 (2015)

MPSF SCORING
2014 5,000-Meters, 3rd (13:49.30)
2015 3,000-Meters, 3rd (7:51.93)
2016 3,000-Meters, 5th (7:54.28)

PAC-12 SCORING
2014 10,000-Meters, 7th (30:01.72)
2015 5,000-Meters, 3rd (13:47.83)
2015 10,000-Meters, 3rd (29:41.84)
2016 5,000-Meters, 2nd (13:36.79)

NCAA SCORING
2015 (I) 3,000-Meters, 5th (8:01.89)
2016 (I) 5,000-Meters, 6th (13:53.22)

ACADEMIC HONORS
Academic All-MPSF (2015, 16)
Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team (2015, 16)
USTFCCCA Academic (2014)

HONORS
2014 All-America Second Team (Indoor 5k)
2015 All-America First Team (Indoor 3k)
2015 All-America Second Team (Indoor 5k)
2016 All-America First Team (Indoor 5k)
2016 All-America Second Team (Outdoor 5k)

CAREER UPDATE: Pearson was one of the best indoor performers for the Buffs, finishing as a five-time indoor All-American. He is the six fastest Buff in the indoor 3k, clocking in at 7:51.93 during the 2015 MPSF Championships, and ranks seventh in indoor 5k record book with a 13:43.37 mark. Pearson’s success spans the outdoor season where he is the eighth fastest Buff in the 5k (13:36.22).

2016: Indoor: Pearson finished his indoor career with another All-America honor in the 5,000-meter run. His first race of the season was a 5k at the Husky Classic, where he qualified for NCAAs by running 13:48.18 for eighth place. At the MPSF Championships, Pearson switched gears and raced the 3k, clocking in at 7:54.28 for fifth place. Pearson finished his indoor career strong at nationals with a 13:53.22 performance for sixth place and another first team All-America honor.
Outdoor: Pearson’s main concentration during his final season was the 5,000, although he didn’t race it until the postseason. At the Pac-12 Championships, he earned his highest finish, placing second overall with his season best mark (13:36.79). Pearson went on to compete at NCAA West Prelims where he took eighth to earn a spot at NCAAs. He ended his collegiate season at NCAAs with a second team All-America finish (14^th).

2015: Indoor: Pearson had a great season, recording a pair of All-America honors. He became the seventh fastest CU 5k performer after clocking in at 13:43.37 at the Husky Classic (2/14), which was good for fourth overall. Pearson also became the fourth best CU 3k performer with a 7:51.93 third-place performance at the MPSF Championships. He raced both the 5k and the 3k at NCAAs. The 5k was first and he earned second team All-America honors with a 14^th place finish (14:16.63). Pearson had a better performance the following night in the 3k, placing fifth in 8:01.89 to take fifth overall.
Outdoor: Pearson showed he was becoming one of CU’s best runners during the indoor season and kept that momentum going into outdoors. He tallied personal bests in all four distance events, starting at the CU Invite (4/11) where he ran 1:52.89 in the 800. The next meet for Pearson was Mt. SAC Relays, where he PR’d in the 5k (13:36.22) to become the eighth fastest CU performer. He also clocked a personal record in the 1,500 at the Payton Jordan Invite (5/2). Pearson went on to compete in the 5k and 10k at the Pac-12 Championships, placing third in both events. He ran a PR of 29:41.84 in the 10k on May 16 and the next day came back to race 13:47.83 in the 5k. Pearson raced 14:12.46 in the NCAA West Prelims, 10^th overall, to advance to NCAAs.

2014: Indoor: Pearson mainly raced the 5k during his first track season for the Buffs. His first 5k was at the Husky Classic (2/14), where he recorded a time of 14:07.11. Two weeks later at the MPSF Championship, Pearson took third overall in 13:49.30 to become CU’s eighth fastest performer in the event. The time was just good enough to qualify him for the NCAA Indoor Championships where he ended up 10^th overall in 14:15.78 to earn second team All-America honors.
Outdoor: Pearson focused on the 5k and 10k during the outdoor season. He started the season by clocking a time of 30:20.57 in the 10k at the Jerry Quiller Classic (3/21), which tied for first. Pearson ran a personal best in the 5k at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite (5/4), coming in at 13:38.92. The time ranks ninth on CU’s 5k performers list and placed seventh at the meet. He ran both the 5k and 10k at the Pac-12 Championships. Pearson scored in the 10k, running 30:01.72 for seventh place. At the NCAA West Preliminary Championships, Pearson again ran both events.

2013: Indoor: Redshirt. Did not compete.
Outdoor: Redshirt. Did not compete.

CROSS COUNTRY: (2015) Pearson returned to CU’s line-up ready to compete. He placed second overall at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, finishing just behind teammate Pierce Murphy. At NCAA Pre-Nationals, Pearson was 14^th, scoring as CU’s No. 4 runner. He was also fourth for the Buffs at Pac-12s, finishing 14^th (All-Pac-12 Second Team) while helping CU win its fifth straight Pac-12 title. Pearson improved at regionals, recording an eighth place finish as CU’s second finisher. He earned All-American honors for the second time in his career with a 25^th place finish at NCAAs. (2014) Redshirt. Did not compete. (2013) Pearson started the season with a seventh-place finish at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, although he ran that meet unattached. He put on the CU uniform in the following meet, NCAA Pre-Nationals, and led the Buffs with a seventh-place finish. Pearson was 18^th overall at the Pac-12 Championships and although he didn’t score as CU’s sixth runner, he did help the Buffs to their third straight Pac-12 Championship. He placed 16^th at regionals and finished the season by claiming All-America honors at NCAAs with a 17^th-place finish, helping the Buffs to the NCAA team title. (2012) Pearson became a member of the varsity team in his first season at CU. At the NCAA Pre-National Invitational, he ran in the open race and was 11^th. Pearson did well at the Pac-12 Championships, finishing 18^th as CU’s seventh runner to help the Buffs take the Pac-12 team title for the second straight year. He raced to a 34^th-place finish at regionals and was the alternate at nationals.

AT DUKE: Pearson competed one season at Duke on the cross country team and indoor and outdoor track & field teams.

HIGH SCHOOL: Pearson earned four letters at Delbarton and Morristown High School. He was the New Jersey state champion in the 3,200 as a senior and earned All-American honors in the outdoor two-mile run. He won the Penn Relays 3,000-meter run, which he lists as the biggest moment of his high school career. Pearson placed fourth in the Northeast Region at Nike Cross Nationals his junior season and was second in the FootLocker regionals as a senior.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Pearson earned his degree in economics and mathematics with a GPA greater than 3.40.

PERSONAL: Morgan Cadwell Pearson was born on Sept. 22, 1993. He is the son of Mike and Christine Pearson and has three brothers, Andrew, Parker and Trevor. His grandfather played lacrosse at Syracuse. Pearson has dual citizenship with Canada. He was a swimmer in high school and also enjoys surfing and playing basketball.