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EWING – Elizabeth Morrison doesn’t care what her mom told her as a child to make her feel better. She very much believes that she can win them all.
Morrison is one of the few multi-sport athletes at TCNJ, playing both field hockey and lacrosse. She is one of the most successful and one of the most decorated athletes in TCNJ History. In her five athletic seasons at TCNJ to this point, Morrison has won an NJAC title in each.
A graduate of Stonington High School in Connecticut, Morrison was a four-year varsity athlete on the field hockey and lacrosse teams and Morrison came to Ewing with the intention on playing lacrosse for the Lions in the spring.
“I was recruited to play lacrosse, and coach (Sharon Pfluger) said I could try out for the field hockey team,” said Morrison. “But since I was going to college far away from home, I was nervous and I wanted to get settled in my freshmen year as a student first.”
On campus it took some time for Morrison to get used to the college environment. While only playing lacrosse, it gave her an opportunity to get her feet under her in the classroom.
Freshman jitters didn’t last long, though, for Morrison. In that first season, the Lions took home the NJAC crown and Morrison was named the NJAC Rookie of the Year, the NJAC Defender of the Year and was a first-team, All-America selection by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.
After such a successful freshman season and a new found home at TCNJ, Morrison decided to make her return to field hockey for the 2015 season.
“After playing one season of lacrosse, I realized that I could handle academics and sports and loved the team family aspect,” Morrison said.
Playing a sport in college can be taxing on any student. For many, the burden of balancing academics and athletics is too overwhelming. For Morrison, playing one sport wasn’t enough.
As Morrison had more success, and as she became more comfortable, her play on the field reflected it.
In her sophomore year, Morrison took home NJAC titles in both field hockey and lacrosse respectively. In her first season of college field hockey, she appeared in all 22 games for the Lions and scored two goals.
It was her sophomore lacrosse season that stood out most for Morrison. She started all 22 games for the Lions and repeated as an IWLCA First Team All-American. Morrison was also named the National Defender of the year by the IWLCA.
It was another stellar year for Morrison as a junior as she appeared in all 20 games for the Lions field hockey squad and took home both NJAC first team nods, as well as National Field Hockey Coaches Association South Atlantic First Team honors.
On and off the field, Morrison is the vocal leader of both teams. While both sports is great for Morrison, she admits to missing the other sport when out of season.
“The hardest part about playing two sports is not having an offseason to use to get better at the other one,” Morrison said. “I also miss the girls from my other team in the offseason.”
As the captain and leader of both Lions teams, Morrison has made a lasting impact on her teammates with her play on the field and her leadership presence off of it. Without any offseason for Morrison, she has grown accustomed to the long days, and packed schedules that both teams have. As a leader for both, she makes every effort to be at all practices for both teams.
For both Lions teams, a fourth-straight NJAC title is within reach. And with five current NJAC Tournament titles already in her pocket, Morrison is certainly one of the main reasons why.