Karen Morton is leaving the University of Denver, but she’s also leaving her mark.
In April, the graduating senior and women’s lacrosse senior midfielder entered her name in the DU record books as the school’s all-time goal scorer — a staggering 188.
“Now that I’m finished playing at DU, it’s nice to have my name on something here and give current and future players something to strive towards,” Morton says. “But in the end, I think everyone would say the same in thinking it would be nicer to have a … conference championship or a NCAA championship with their team … than their name on a record sheet.”
That may be so, but Morton, who’s from Adelaide, Australia, will not soon be forgotten; she also ends her DU career as the leader in points (goals and assists added together) (255), draw controls (162) and caused turnovers (106).
Big numbers considering such a humble start — as an extra on the sideline of a pick-up game.
“I was 6 years old, watching my older sister play and her team needed more players,” Morton says. “I wasn’t wearing real shoes and had to borrow a pair from someone else. But I loved it from the first game I played.”
That love of the game clearly shines through. Liza Kelly, the DU’s women’s lacrosse head coach, says Morton is “one of the most fun players” she’s ever watched. Clearly, she’s also one of the most lethal for opponents.
“She has a natural knack for reading defenses and the field. I’d say one of her biggest strengths is her intelligence,” Kelly says. “The game slows down for her and she’s able to make things happen because of that.”
Kelly adds that Morton’s abilities helped the team grow.
“Other players learned from watching her and that made us a stronger team.”
Morton believes the biggest asset she brought to the team was her love of the game.
“I love lacrosse. I love being over here at DU playing with my teammates everyday and playing for coaches I respect so much,” she says. “I think my attitude often flows down to the rest of the team and this in turn helps us as a team to improve and have a lot of fun as well.”
Up next for Morton (and the peak for women’s lacrosse) is the Senior World Cup in Prague in June.
“Then some rest and relaxation back in Australia.”
For more information or to watch streaming video of DU’s commencement ceremony, please visit DU’s commencement Web site.