Elise Morrison '07 lounges idly on a rock at the Ledges on Wednesday afternoon following morning classes. She chatters gaily to her friend about an upcoming class project, Tubestock and midterms.
In her off-season, the starting center for Dartmouth's women's basketball team appears more interested in getting a tan and hanging out with her friends than winning an Ivy League title.
Morrison's family members affectionately call her "Pinky," inspired by the popular cartoon Pinky and the Brain, for her sometimes ditzy and crazy behavior. Friends know her as a forthright person who is never afraid to confront someone else about personal matters.
"I am a really open person," Morrison said. "If you have anything you want to ask me, I'll tell you the truth."
Born to Gary and Liza Morrison, a hockey player and a swimmer for the University of Michigan, respectively, Morrison was raised in a family that excelled at sport. Her older sister Suzanne plays basketball for Northwestern University, while her maternal grandfather played football for the University of Michigan and her paternal grandfather played baseball at Michigan. Her uncles were Olympic-qualifying swimmers, San Francisco Giants, football players for the University of Michigan and University of South Alabama baseball players.
It is no surprise that Morrison, who has been gifted with athletic genes, has proven herself a star athlete from a young age.
As a child, Elise tried swimming, soccer, softball, and volleyball before finally settling down with basketball. For a basketball player, Morrison began late. She started playing at age 12 but did not become serious about the sport until 14.
"I was lanky at 14," Morrison recalled. "That year, I went from being 5-feet 9-inches, 5-feet 10-inches and a little chubbyto being a 6-foot 2-inch giant."
By her junior year in high school, Morrison was already one of the most heavily recruited players in the country. She led her high school basketball team, Detroit Country Day, to a 26-1 record her senior year and proceeded to snatch the state championship title.
Ranked 28th among high school seniors by the All-Girl Sports recruiting service, Morrison prompted some coaches to name her among the top five centers in the country.
Morrison always thought she would end up at a Big Ten school and play "big-time" basketball. She didn't really consider coming to Dartmouth and had no idea what pong was until she matriculated. Instead, Morrison had her heart set on Illinois or Northwestern, where her sister Suzanne played basketball. However, because of her mother's strong encouragement and the appeal of an Ivy League education, Morrison decided to give Dartmouth a shot.
During her first year at the College, in addition to juggling a busy social life and a challenging class schedule, Morrison managed to earn Ivy League Rookie-of-the-Week honors 10 times in the 13-week season, en route to being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. She finished top-five in the League in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and blocked shots.
During her sophomore season, Morrison helped Dartmouth to a co-Ivy League Championship and a spot in the NCAAs. After recording 11 double-doubles during the regular season and averaging around 15 points per game, she was named Ivy Player of the Week three times in the season and landed a spot on the All-Ivy First Team as its only sophomore.
However, Morrison did not limit herself to basketball or isolate herself from non-athletes because of her star status.
Morrison said that she enjoys meeting new people and often gets along with friends because of her laidback attitude toward life.
"I'm in my 'branching out' stage right now," Morrison said jokingly.
She said that she chose to pledge at Alpha Xi Alpha sorority because her social circle is composed mostly of other varsity athletes who are sisters at Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Delta Delta or Sigma Delta. Morrison wanted to meet a more diverse group of people through her sorority, she said.
When asked why she has more friends on sports teams here, she responded, "I think it's because we understand what each other goes through."
The 19-year-old also confessed that she has never been in a romantic relationship before. Morrison believes that the dating culture at Dartmouth makes it hard for a female athlete to find a boyfriend among her peers.
"It's hard for athletes to date -- even harder for a girl. In between classes, homework and practices, we barely even have time to eat meals at a decent time," Morrison said. "The only people who understand the stress of playing a varsity sport are other athletes. But most guys on a team prefer dating girls who are not playing a sport."
Nonetheless, Morrison has managed to find lasting friendships. Often, because she doesn't brag about her athletic achievements, her new friends don't know about her identity as a star basketball player. But after she appeared on ESPN in an NCAA first round game, people approached her excitedly asking, "Aren't you that girl from ESPN?" She simply nodded and smiled.
After her 20th birthday on Friday, Morrison can look forward to a promising junior season and a lot more recognition ahead.
