PHOTO BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Madison Morris waits at first base for Marisa Bogart's throw to arrive during an LHS varsity softball game last season. The school year is still several weeks away, but Madison Morris already is acing her tests.

Lampasas Lady Badgers varsity first baseman Morris, an incoming junior, recently placed second out of approximately 250 athletes at the 2009 Elite Recruiting Camp with a 67.5 SPARQ score. SPARQ is an acronym for speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness.

The tests are considered to be the SATs of the athletic world.

Hosted by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in Plano, Morris took part in six separate events. She finished with an overall SPARQ rating that was a mere 0.21 behind the top score of 67.71. In all, only nine athletes accumulated a score in the 60s. The third-place score was 67.23

Morris recorded vertical jumps of 25.3 and 24.8 inches. Only one jump higher than Morris' 24.8-inch leap was recorded during the entire testing.

In the 20-yard dash, the multisport athlete posted times of 2.98 and 2.93 seconds. She finished the shuttle run in five seconds flat on her first run before improving to 4.7 seconds on her second goround.

In the home-to-home sprint, Morris had the fourth-fastest time among infielders, rounding the bases in 11.34 seconds.

The Lady Badger showed off her arm strength in the powerball throw and overhand throw portions of the test. In the powerball throw, she recorded distances of 35 feet and 34.6 feet. Her top overhand throw was clocked at 59 miles per hour, and her second attempt was just shy of tying the mark, reaching a speed of 58 mph.

The District 25-4A softball first team member will spend the fall playing on the varsity volleyball squad. Last season, as a sophomore, Morris was named MVP on the volleyball team and also received the top hitting award.

Morris also suits up for LHS in basketball and track.