Saginaw Valley State University Athletics will be releasing a series of student-athlete spotlights, which will feature some of our Cardinal senior student-athletes from the 2019-20 academic year. Stay tuned to www.svsucardinals.com over the next few weeks to get to know our SVSU seniors a bit more.

Next up in our series is Softball student-athlete Morgan Duda. Morgan is a native of Clinton Township, Michigan who is an outfielder for the Cardinals. She has played in 29 games the past two seasons after transferring from the University of Minnesota-Crookston. 

Duda's favorite memory while competing for Saginaw Valley was hitting her first SVSU home run in 2019 and afterwards getting the biggest hug from the late Coach Tony Zimmerman. 

Morgan's favorite spot on campus is the SVSU Ryder Center and Fieldhouse. She is an exercise science major who is set to graduate in May 2020. She plans on working as a sports performance trainer in the future. 

Duda enjoys archery and hunting outside of athletics and spending time with family and friends. She is a talented bowler as well, being state-ranked during her high school career. 

Her favorite road trip was this past spring break trip to Florida. Even though it took the team two days to get down there, it gave the team the opportunity to bond even more. 

Morgan Duda on her experience at SVSU...

"Coming in being a transfer, I was nervous about coming into a new school but this team welcomed me with open arms and for that I gained a second family!"

SVSU Softball Head Coach Todd Buckingham on Morgan Duda...

"Teammates like Morgan are a rare find. Her humor and laid back demeanor are enjoyable everyday. When she came to us as a transfer, she never once complained about playing time or sulked when opportunities didn't come. She simply came every single day with a smile and put in the work. She has been a beast in the weight room, and someone I could count on to work every camp and clinic we had. You just don't find people like Morgan everyday...her teammates and coaches just loved being around her. I will never forget the monster homerun she hit last year at Hillsdale and watching Tony fight back tears of joy for her...that's what Morgan meant to this program."