Spencer Moon is taking tremendous strides on and off the course as he enters his junior year. 

Moon comes to Simpson from South Central Calhoun High School in Lake City, Iowa where he excelled in cross country, making state all four years and placing in the top five on two occasions. 

“I’d say I had a pretty exceptional career but comparing times from high school to college made me want to make a big improvement,” Moon said.

Moon ran a career-best 24:54 in the 8K at the Jim Drews Invitational on Oct. 15, improving upon his previous best by 12 seconds. He placed fourth out of 380 runners. 

Some people just think of football or basketball as sports with strategies, but don’t tell Moon that. He implemented a plan of his own, which helped lead him to success. 

“The goal for the first half is just kind of stay relaxed, sit in the pack, don’t be towards the front, let other people do the work,” Moon said. Then as the race develops, people just start to fade or try to break away and you just have to keep an eye on them and move accordingly to how you feel.”

While you enjoy hanging out with your friends on the couch, Moon hangs out with his friends while running. 

“The most rewarding part of cross country is running with your teammates,” Moon said. “We’ll go on an easy run, and we’ll just hang out and talk. It’s just kind of a way to hang out and still be productive.”

Cross country is not as easy as it sounds; there are many obstacles and challenges that Moon faces daily. 

“The biggest sacrifice is sleep. 6:00 a.m. is not always a fun time to go run four miles and then run later in the day for two-a-days,” Moon said. A lot of us have also started lifting this year which is taking time out from recovery and homework, so you really have to be on top of time management. 

The third-year runner is majoring in accounting and management with a minor in business analytics. With so many things on his plate, Moon has made it a goal to focus on the present and let the future run its course, just like running a race. 

“After I hopefully graduate, I want to get a job, then study and sit for the CPA and then after that, just see where it takes me,” Moon said.

Many different professors made an impact on Moon’s Simpson experience – so many that it was hard to pick just one. 

“I really like all three of the accounting professors; they understand that accounting is hard, and they really want you to succeed,” Moon said. “If you’re willing to put in the work, they are willing to stick their neck out for you.”

If Moon could go back and give his freshman year self some advice, he would say:

“Be patient. My freshman year, I was very impatient and wanted to run as many miles as I could, and that ended up with me not running for a couple of weeks during the season,” Moon said. “The small steps accumulating are greater than a couple of big steps.”