Female Athlete Of The Year / Nadja Morgan, Blanchet -- New Name Joins Braves' Pantheon -- Achievements Transcend Sports

Terry Wilkinson, Blanchet girls basketball coach, was talking about the best-known athletes in the school's history. He mentioned running back Joe Steele (Class of 1976), NBA player Tom Workman ('63) and NFL linebacker Rick Redman ('61).

And then he mentioned Nadja Morgan ('98).

"She's achieved about as much as anybody who has been through this school," Wilkinson said.

He might be right.

Morgan has a 3.94 grade-point average, falling short of a perfect 4.0 only by a B in honors calculus this year.

She made the state all-tournament basketball team four times as the Braves finished first, first, third and second. She is one of only four girls to make The Seattle Times' Star Times all-star squad three times. She was co-MVP in Metro League volleyball this fall and was selected for the state all-star series.

Because of her versatility and skill, Morgan has been selected City Female Athlete of the Year by The Times.

Morgan also lettered four times in track, doing everything from the javelin to the hurdles to the sprint relays. An emergency appendectomy two weeks ago torpedoed her chances of qualifying for state in the javelin.

"They said it was on the verge of bursting," she said.

Blanchet Athletic Director George Monica said, "Nadja has been an absolute delight to have in our athletic program. She's not only an outstanding athlete, she's an outstanding young woman as well. In every phase of her experiences at Blanchet, she's been nothing but a tremendous kid."

Morgan, 6 feet 2, averaged 18 points and eight rebounds in league basketball games this past season. The averages would have been higher but she was lifted early in blowouts.

With two days left until graduation, Morgan has a wealth of memories to sort through. She said her favorite was being a freshman member of the 1995 state-championship basketball team.

"The chemistry on that team was so great that year," she said. "As a freshman to come in and be a part of that was special. It was the first time Blanchet had ever won the girls state championship. There were thousands of people cheering in the stands.

"It was a pretty amazing experience."

Any regrets about her high-school years?

"I don't really have any," she said, relaxing after school in the classroom of one of her favorite teachers, Leo Genest, who teaches English. "I was actually writing a paper about that the other day. Over the four years, I've decided that my biggest accomplishment doesn't really have to do with awards and championships. It's more of a peace of mind from knowing that I've tried my best throughout high school."

Morgan gave something back, too. Through one of Genest's classes called "Christian Call," she tutored a grade-school student in reading. She is proud she helped him improve.

Morgan's family lives in Loyal Heights north of Ballard. Her father, Lee, is a former marine biologist who changed careers and teaches English as a second language. Her mother, Nena, is a human-resources specialist for the U.S. Customs Service. Nadja has a brother, Keith, who is 12.

Her mother's family is Russian, and Nadja's first name is formally Nadezhda, meaning "Hope." Her name commonly was spelled Nadia during her first 2 1/2 years in high school, but she asked that it be Nadja, which is closer to the Russian pronunciation.

When Nadja was in eighth grade her family lived in Japan for six months while Lee taught English at a Japanese school.

"Nadja was well accepted at the school," her mother said. "She was the first exchange student they had in their 100-year history."

Nadja said, "Living in Japan opened my eyes to a different culture and a new language. It was a great experience."

Next season, Morgan will play basketball for Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. She immediately liked the school and canceled her other recruiting visits, which included Oregon.

She will join four state athletes already on the Waves: Jodi Sackville from Issaquah High School, Nikki Fields from Cle Elum, Nesha Thomas from Federal Way and Jenny Frank from East Valley near Yakima.

Morgan will room with Thomas, who started as a freshman last season and led the team in rebounding by averaging 8.1 a game. Frank, who will be a senior, is a three-year starter and All-West Coast Conference selection who averaged 12.1 points a game.

Pepperdine was 21-10 last season and finished second in the conference.

Morgan's progress won't be easy to track during the regular season, but if Pepperdine winds up in the NCAA tournament, she will become more visible.

Someone watching television might say, "Blanchet? Isn't that the school where Joe Steele, Tom Workman, Rick Redman and now this Morgan kid came from?"

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Nadja Morgan / bio

High school - Blanchet.

Sports - Volleyball, basketball, track.

Year - Senior.

Honors/highlights - Earned 11 varsity letters in four years at Blanchet. Four-year starter in basketball, three-year letterman in volleyball and four varsity letters in track in events ranging from the javelin to hurdles to sprint relays. Four-year all-state-tournament selection in basketball. Named most valuable player of Class AA state basketball tournament as sophomore. Three-time Star Times selection in basketball. Co-MVP of Metro League in volleyball as senior. Selected to state all-star volleyball series.

Academics - 3.94 GPA.

Hobby - Reading.

Personal - Parents are Lee and Nena Morgan; brother Keith, 12.

College - Pepperdine, basketball scholarship.

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Female athletes of year

City - Nadja Morgan, Blanchet, senior - volleyball, basketball, track.

Eastside - Sara Best, Inglemoor, junior - soccer, basketball, track.

North End - Heather Reichmann, King's, senior - swimming, basketball, track.

South End - Celeste Quitiquit, Kennedy, senior - volleyball, basketball, track.

Tomorrow: Male athletes of the year.