SAN ANTONIO — UTSA Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Aaron Fox announced the addition of LaVera Morris to his staff on Friday. Morris will serve as the Roadrunners' director of operations and her appointment is effective immediately.
"LaVera is an excellent addition to our staff," Fox said. "Not only was she a highly-decorated student-athlete at Kentucky, but she also brings valuable experience from the Southeastern Conference, which is one of the biggest leagues in the country. Her experience will be a valuable asset to our program as we transition to the WAC this season and Conference USA a year from now."
"I want to thank Coach Fox for the opportunity to join such a successful program," Morris said. "UTSA has experienced great success the past several seasons and I'm excited to be a part of a program that has a great championship tradition. This is a university that is on the rise and I'm looking forward to helping it make the move to the WAC and Conference USA the next two years."
The Orlando, Fla., native spent last season as the director of operations at her alma mater, Kentucky, where she coordinated team travel, organized housing for Wildcats' student-athletes, arranged team meals and assigned officials in addition to other administrative duties.
A two-time All-American in the 800 meters, Morris earned certificates at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships and two years later at the indoor national meet. She also won a Southeastern Conference Indoor Championship as a sophomore in the distance medley relay. Morris still holds the fastest indoor 800m time in UK history by a freshman (2:09.70) and ranks third overall with her 2:06, which she ran as a junior. Her outdoor career-best clocking of 2:05.87 as a sophomore stands fourth in Wildcats annals.
After receiving her master's degrees from Central Florida in business administration and sports management in 2011, Morris was a marketing and sales intern for the Black Coaches & Administrators/Learfield Sports. She earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Kentucky in 2008.