Moon Breaks 37-Year-Old Record

Moon+broke+a+time+set+by+Jeff+Brooks+in+1986+by+almost+three+seconds.+

Photo courtesy of Simpson Athletics

Moon broke a time set by Jeff Brooks in 1986 by almost three seconds.

by Clare Veren, Staff Reporter

Spencer Moon added to his lengthy list of school records by breaking the indoor mile record at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational in Iowa City on Jan. 21.

Moon broke a time set by Jeff Brooks in 1986 by almost three seconds. Moon came in at 4:08.77, bettering Brooks’s time of 4:11.48.

Moon’s run gives him his fourth indoor record and sixth total track and field school record. 

“Running really fast is really cool,” said Moon. “Growing up in Simpson’s program and being pushed by upperclassmen and now being a senior, I hope I make an impact on underclassmen.”

Moon has many goals set for himself while currently holding the records in the indoor 3000-meter run (8:15.14) and the indoor 5000-meter run (14:17.51).

“I got an All-American honor in cross country this year, so that would definitely be a goal for indoor and outdoor. It’s been close in the past, but I don’t have the 10K record yet, so that would also be something I want to get this season,” said Moon.

Last season, Moon was part of the distance medley relay team that set a new school record at last year’s A-R-C Indoor Championships with a time of 10:08.63. Moon also holds two more outdoor records in the 1500 meters (3:47.87) and the 5000 meters (14:18.76).

Not only have the former Storm runners impacted Moon, but so has his coach. 

“Heath is an amazing coach, and I pretty much owe all my success to him,” Moon said.

Director of Cross Country and Track and Field for the Simpson Storm, Heath Moenck, did not hesitate to talk about Moon’s impact on the program.

“I think Spencer has proven that we can attract really good men and women to this program, we can develop them, and we can provide opportunities for them to be really successful,” Moenck said.

“He’s on a roll right now, and luckily, we’re all along for the ride!” Moenck expressed, excited about the rest of the season.

In the 2022 fall cross-country season, Moon became the first Storm runner since 1989 to earn an All-American honor and crossed the finish line in 25:12.0 for the 8K race. This was the second-best finish at the NCAA Championship in school history.

The Storm will be on the road for the ARC Conference Championships this year. The weekend event will take place on Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25, in Storm Lake, Iowa.