Moon earns coveted First Team All-American honor, Cleveland claims Second Team distinction

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Two student-athletes from the Simpson College men's track and field team earned All-American honors, with Spencer Moon garnering First Team All-American honors and Max Cleveland collecting a Second Team All-American distinction.

Moon finished sixth in the men's 5,000 meters in a time of 14:05.43, earning his first career track and field All-American award.

"Spencer's incredible season continued tonight," said Storm director of track and field and cross country Heath Moenck. "To be awarded the conference MVP, Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year, and now an All-American honor is pretty special. He has worked extremely hard, been great to see him rewarded, and we are fortunate to have him represent Simpson College."

Cleveland clocked a time of 8.22 seconds in the 60 meter hurdles, competing in the first of three heats. Cleveland came up just shy of moving on to the final, but still finished well enough to earn his second career All-American honor.

"It was not the perfect finish Max had envisioned," said Storm associate head coach James Hoffman. "However, he still had an incredible indoor season, resetting records that were capped off by his second career All-American honor."

HIGHLIGHTS

• Moon was in the front three for the majority of the race, until race winner Christian Patzka pulled away from Moon and second-place finisher Ethan Gregg.
• Cleveland took 13th overall in the 60 meter hurdles, as he and Moon became Simpson's first indoor All-Americans since Dylan Kalinay in 2018.
• Ulysses Patterson is sitting in 14th after the first day of the heptathlon, with a pair of top 10 finishes in the 60 meters and the shot put.
• Patterson also set a new personal best in the 60 meters with a time of 7.19.
• Lara Kallem finished 19th in the women's 5,000 meters, clocking a time of 17:23.25.

STORM HISTORY

• Moon became the first Simpson athlete since Matt Chance in 1996 to earn the coveted All-American honor in the 5,000 meters.
• Cleveland is also the first Storm athlete since Jordan Coughenour in 2017 to claim an All-American distinction in back-to-back national championship meets.

MEET REPORT

• Men' 60 Meter Hurdle Prelims - 13. Max Cleveland, 8.22
• Men's 5,000 Meters - 6. Spencer Moon, 14:05.43
• Women's 5,000 Meters - 19. Lara Kallem, 17:23.25
• Heptathlon Overall - 14. Ulysses Patterson, 2,728 points
• Heptathlon 60 Meters - 10. Ulysses Patterson, 7.19 (PB)
• Heptathlon Long Jump - 13. Ulysses Patterson, 6.57m
• Heptathlon Shot Put - 10. Ulysses Patterson, 11.43m
• Heptathlon High Jump - 18. Ulysses Patterson, 1.80m

UP NEXT
Patterson will resume competition in the heptathlon at 9 a.m., while Moon looks to go for his second All-American honor in the 3,000 meters, scheduled for 5 p.m.