Jen Morgan '02 always knew she wanted to make a run at the Olympics. She just didn't know in which sport.
It wasn't until she turned fifteen that Morgan first set foot into a dinghy, the small sailboats used in collegiate and Olympic competition.
"My dad spent many years trying to talk me into taking sailing lessons, but I didn't listen," said Morgan, now the Big Green's top skipper. "At age 15 I finally did, took one week of lessons, and was immediately hooked."
By the end of that week, Morgan was sailing in her first regatta. "I had no idea what I was doing, but it didn't matter. I loved it," she said. "I tried to improve as fast as possible."
The Seattle native was able to sail nearly every day "since it's warm all year at home."
Although Morgan loved the sport, her high school didn't have a team, so she sailed with the Seattle Yacht Club. Just one year later, Morgan was sailing regattas at the national level.
"I went to every national championship I could get into," she says. "I'm very competitive, so that part came naturally."
As a high school senior, Morgan placed second at Women's Junior Nationals, falling short of the title by only five points. As similar results began filling her rsum, recruiting letters started to fly in.
Dartmouth sailing coach Brian Doyle knows this all too well.
"There were no less than 15 schools that were in contact with Jen during her high school years," he said.
Letters came from every top sailing program in the nation, including Stanford, Tufts, Brown and Dartmouth.
But those other schools hardly had a chance. Dartmouth had a pull on her.
Morgan only looked at New England area schools because "there are so many great teams in New England, every regatta is against the best, and that's a big draw," she said. In the end, Dartmouth stood out from Tufts and Brown because of its unique combination of "an outdoors style, fun people and a great sailing team."
Coach Doyle recalled a different reason for Morgan's choice. "Jen met a woman on the Dartmouth Sailing team named Erin Maxwell '01," he says. "Any sailor who met Erin during her time at Dartmouth was instantly charmed into thinking that Dartmouth was the only place on Earth worth applying to.
"Jen was lucky to be one of Erin's victims."
While Morgan might have accomplished a lot in high school, it pales next to what she has done with the Big Green.
As a freshman, she was behind two other female skippers on the depth chart, so she sat on the sidelines at nationals. But Morgan sailed well enough at earlier regattas -- including a victory at the Atlantic Coast Championships -- that she was still an Honorable Mention All-American.
Morgan then took sophomore fall off and along with Maxwell, set forth on an Olympic campaign. After months of sailing, the two placed an amazing fifth at the U.S. Trials -- good enough to make the National Team, but three spots shy of qualifying for the Sydney Olympics.
When asked exactly what it means to make the U.S. Sailing Team if you don't actually get to sail, Morgan said, "It means you get a lot of free stuff, but that's about it."
In the Dartmouth sailing program's magical spring of 2000, Morgan helped the women to a national championship. Sailing in the B-Division, Morgan and Erin Myers '00 finished first--a whopping 20 points clear of the field. Such a large spread easily propelled the team score to first-place overall. For her efforts, Morgan again earned Honorable Mention All-American status.
Last year saw more of the same, as Morgan qualified for the individual women's national championships and was again a key player in Dartmouth's second-place finish behind a surprising Hawaii team at women's nationals.
With a full season of results under her belt, Morgan was named to the All-American team as one of the 10 best women's skippers in the nation.
This year, Morgan has an additional role on the team. As women's captain, she has more of a teaching role than before.
Newcomer Clementine James '05 said, "I was lucky enough to be able to crew for Jen one day, and although we did not have any breeze, she taught me more than I thought possible."
This season is off to a good start for Morgan, who has already qualified again for individual nationals.
As the year moves on, her team remains focused on one goal -- winning the Women's Dinghy Championship next June, hosted 5,000 miles away by defending champion Hawaii.
After she graduates, Morgan plans on making a second run at the Olympics.
Soon after Commencement, the senior will start sailing full-time in Florida, then find a job for the slower winter months to support herself.
Then she plans on moving to Europe, where there is "a better fleet of boats and much more competition."
Morgan looks forward not only to making the U.S. Olympic Team, but also to the idea that "it means I don't have to drop resumes, which is the best part."
