[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1124-E1125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF MORGAN ALAINA CRAFT ON HER INDUCTION INTO THE LUZERNE 
                       COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2019

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor athlete and 
Northeastern Pennsylvania native Morgan Alaina Craft. This year, Morgan 
was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame on August 11, 
2019 for her distinct athletic achievements in the sport of skeet 
shooting.
  Each year, the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame honors those who 
have brought fame and recognition to the state of Pennsylvania through 
their outstanding achievements and contributions in athletic endeavors.
  Morgan was born and raised in rural Sullivan County, Pennsylvania 
where she grew up with a passion for shooting and the outdoors. When 
she was 7, she began shooting .22 rifles with the Sullivan County 4H 
program. Her family played a key role in implementing a shotgun 
shooting program as a varsity sport at her high school. Always athletic 
and competitive, Morgan enjoyed playing basketball and soccer 
throughout junior and senior high but shooting remained her true 
passion. Olympic skeet shooting soon caught her eye, and in 2008, she 
competed in her first National Championship in Colorado Springs, 
Colorado.
  Morgan continued her education at Lindenwood University in St. 
Charles, Missouri, earning a bachelor's degree in exercise science. 
While at Lindenwood, she helped lead her team to win the Collegiate 
National Championship three years in a row. She also won an individual 
gold medal at the 2012 ACUI Collegiate National Championship.
  As she continued her shooting career with the Junior Olympic Team and 
the United

[[Page E1125]]

States National Team, Morgan traveled all over the world to compete. In 
2012, Morgan competed in the Olympic Trials and was named team 
alternate for the London Olympic Games. Her alternate status drove her 
to reach even higher. She was named USA Shooting's Women's National 
Champion in 2014 and Female Shooter of the Year in 2015. In 2015, she 
won silver and bronze World Cup medals and a gold at the 51st 
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships, 
securing one of the two spots for Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics. 
In 2016, she added a gold World Cup medal to her collection and 
competed at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She earned a spot 
in the Olympic final by winning a three-way shoot-off against Argentina 
and Russia. Morgan finished in fifth place in Rio.
  It is an honor to recognize Morgan on her induction into the Luzerne 
County Sports Hall of Fame. May her story and athletic career serve as 
an inspiration to the next generation of Pennsylvania athletes striving 
for excellence.

                          ____________________