The Official Site of the Fighting Saints

A two-time Frontier Conference Cross Country Coach of the year, cross country head coach and track and field assistant David Morris has led the Fighting Saints harriers to unprecedented heights, highlighted by a third-place combined finish at the 2015 NAIA National Championship.

In his first three years at the helm, he has coached the Carroll men to a Frontier title in 2014 and the Carroll women to a dominating conference win in 2015 where the Saints captured seven of the top 10 spots in the race.

At nationals, the Saints have continued an upward trajectory. In 2013, Morris’ first year at the helm, the Carroll women finished 11th, in 2014 Carroll brought home hardware with a fourth-place finish and in 2015, the Saints finished fifth.

On the men’s side, the Saints finished ninth in 2014 and eighth in 2015. 

Lyle Pocha (2014, 2015), Chance Hyatt (2015), Leah Esposito (2013, 2014, 2015) and Sandy Torres (2015) all earned All-America honors under his tutelage.

Morris coached multiple All-Americans and Esposito won the 1,000 meter NAIA Indoor national title in 2015 and the 2016 indoor 1 mile championship. Rhianna Grossman won the 2014 3,000 meter indoor championship.

He was named the USTFCCCA West Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2016 season.

A 1994 graduate of the University of Montana (Computer Science), Morris is considered the top male distance runners in Grizzly history.  He was a three-time NCAA All-America selection and won the 1994 NCAA indoor 3,000-meter title.  In all, he won eight Big Sky Conference titles.  He still holds Montana’s track record in the 1,500-meters (3:44) and the Big Sky meet record in the 10,000-meters (29:11.17).

Morris, has a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. 

From the collegiate ranks, Morris then took his running talents to the professional level and left his mark both nationally and internationally.  He set the (then) official U.S. record in the Chicago Marathon of 2:09.32 in 1999 and was the first U.S. competitor in the World Half Marathon Championships in 2002 with a time of 1:03.24.  He was third in both 1998 and 2002 at the U.S. Marathon Championships.  Morris also captured the United States 25K championships in 2002.  His list of running accomplishments is one of the lengthiest in Montana history. He was named the No. 33 greatest male athlete in the history of the Big Sky Conference in honor of its 50th anniversary. 

He is a native of Eagle River, Alaska.