Shining Stars, Star Students...Hartford's Alex Morley - AmericaEast.com
America East will highlight one of its student-athletes each month for the length of the school year. “Shining Stars, Star Students” documents the life of some of the conference’s star athletes beyond just their athletic achievements. In the sixth installment, the spotlight is on Boston University senior tri-captain Molly Gallagher, written by Cassie Rhodes, a senior on the Terrier women's crew team. In the seventh installment, the spotlight is on University of Hartford’s senior softball player Alex Morley, written by Sarah Rasor, a senior on the Hawks volleyball team.
Alex Morley, a senior softball player at the University of Hartford, has placed a large emphasis on both academics and community service during her time as a student-athlete. Her contributions to the community and outstanding achievements have not gone unnoticed, and her dream of being an athletic director has driven her to go above and beyond.
“I have wanted to be a collegiate athletic director since I was a junior in high school, so having a female athletic director, Pat Meiser, here at Hartford has been a wonderful experience,” said Morley. “After graduating next month, I’ll step right into a graduate assistant position in the compliance office in the athletic department, and in the fall I will be taking a large role in Playbook for Life. I also plan to start grad school in the fall, moving toward getting my MBA.”
A business management major with a minor in communications, Morley has no problem juggling school with softball. Sporting a grade point average better than 3.5, she handles her workload with careful planning and interesting time management strategies.
“I am a big fan of sticky notes,” admitted Morley. “When I have a lot to do, I write things in date order and line them up on the bottom of my computer. When I complete tasks I rip off the sticky note?it’s simple, but it keeps me organized.”
The sticky notes must work well because Morley has been inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society which recognizes only one percent of business students. She also won the Paul Mali Excellence in Leadership Award on behalf of the management and marketing department of the Barney School of Business.
Aside from the academic awards, she has also been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. “I am incredibly honored that the Department of Athletics nominated me for such a prestigious award,” said Morley.
She is also heavily involved in SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Council), which allows her to give back to the athletics program. She is finishing a term as the president of both the Hartford and America East SAAC. As President of the America East SAAC, she represented the conference at the Division-I National SAAC level.
“SAAC at the campus level can really change a school and its athletic center through fundraising, raising student fan support or helping student-athletes who have concerns,” said Morley.
Morley gives back to the community in several ways. She has mentored students at the Hartford Magnet School on campus for the past four years, and through Playbook for Life?an initiative developed by The Hartford?she has visited local elementary schools to teach third- and fourth-graders about saving versus spending their money.
“It has been a really rewarding experience for everyone who has been able to do it,” she said. “Part of being a student-athlete is giving back to the community around you, and this is one way our team has done that. We know we are making a difference in the children’s lives by teaching them about things like responsibility and sportsmanship.”
As for softball, the Buffalo, NY native has always had a passion for the game. It all started when she was five years old, and her love for the game kept growing. She attempted volleyball and basketball in high school, but it was not the same.
“I was just naturally talented at softball,” proclaimed Morley. “I had great hand-eye coordination at a young age, and I’ve had a great arm ever since I could remember.”
Aside from her seriousness, Morley (“Mother Morley” to her teammates and “Big Al” to her coach) loves to do an interpretive dance routine in the middle of her team’s stretching circle for every home double header. “It's really funny and strange for other people to see but my girls love it, so I do it to get them relaxed before our games,” she admitted.
Morley has done more than just dance in her four seasons with the Hawks. She has started 100 career games and helped the team to an America East Championship appearance in 2007. However, the lessons she learned on the playing field will remain with her forever.
“True athletes do not just succeed when things are going well, but push through times of failure to get to moments of success again,” she said. “Your time as a student-athlete will not always be easy, but those who are passionate and determined to succeed will do just that. Those who will roll over when things are difficult need not sign up in the first place.”