Senior Spencer Moon took home 10th place in the NCAA Division III National Championship in Lansing, Michigan, to give him an All-American title. 

The freezing temperatures and snow on the course did not slow Moon down as he drastically improved from his performance last year in the National Championship.

Moon worked hard all summer to build his strength to achieve this feat by running more and pushing more miles in his workouts. Moon also credits his head coach, Heath Moenck, for building him up each year and helping him improve from his freshman year.

“I would say this summer I was a little more aggressive about pushing the miles, so I ran probably 10 more miles a week than I normally had done in the past and I could really tell at the end of the race I wasn’t as fatigued as I normally was,” Moon said.

The thought of being an All-American is what pushed Moon through the summer workouts and motivated him to work as hard as he did.

Moon also explains how the pressure to perform has been something he has struggled with in the past and pushing himself every day isn’t always a good thing in running. He found himself to be more easygoing this year, however.

“I wasn’t really thinking about performing until I showed up at the meet, so I feel like that was a big benefit this year,” Moon said. “I just wasn’t thinking about it constantly.”

The attention Moon gained after becoming an All-American has been overwhelming, but he is grateful for all of the support he has received from Simpson.

“It was still super exciting. It was nice to know that the whole campus was behind me, supporting me like following along, so I just thought that was really cool and just nice to know that everyone here supports everyone,” Moon said.

Moon started his running career by being asked if he would be interested in joining cross country and after running a couple of times, he found out it was a great fit for him. 

“I just appreciate how Simpson’s really welcoming of everyone and everyone kind of follows everyone here, so I think that’s a big deal,” Moon said.

Moon eagerly looks forward to the track season, where he has many personal goals for the upcoming season. He said he wants to break the records in the 10k and mile and also earn the title of All-American in Track and Field.

Moon’s plans for the future include staying on the track and staying running because he is close to some time barriers. He wants to stay on the track for a year or two, then transition to off-road and run half-marathons or marathons.

“I don’t think I can stop now, it’s just part of who I am,” Moon said.