Moon, Nash capture Athlete of the Year accolades
INDIANOLA, Iowa – For the third time in their illustrious careers, dual-sport athletes Spencer Moon and Cassie Nash have been named the Athletic Department's Male and Female Athlete of the Year.
Both are receiving the SC ESPY for the second year in a row. Nash was also named the Female Athlete of the Year in 2021-22, while Moon was the department's Male Athlete of the Year in 2020-21 as well as the Male Record-Breaking Athlete of the Year in 2021-22.
Spencer Moon, men's cross country and track and field
Hailing from Lake City, Iowa, Moon once again excelled at the highest level in both cross country and track. In the fall, Moon made history by becoming the only runner in program history to receive four all-region awards with a season-best time and seventh place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. He qualified for the national championships for the third time in his career and was the American Rivers Conference championship runner-up.
Moon's achievements in conference and regional track events were equally remarkable. He triumphed in all three of his races at the league's indoor and outdoor championships and was tabbed the A-R-C Indoor Track MVP for the second consecutive year. Regionally, Moon recorded the fastest times in both 5,000-meter runs and ranked second in the indoor 3,000 meters and outdoor 10,000 meters. He was honored with the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year award at the conclusion of both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Moon's name has long been etched in Simpson's record books, but he crowned his storied career with the ultimate achievement: winning a national title. By securing the gold in the outdoor 10,000 meters, Moon became the program's fifth national champion and first since 1988. He earned a total of four All-American honors this year, becoming the fifth athlete in program history to achieve at least four in their career.
Throughout his time at Simpson, Moon qualified for nationals 11 times and amassed four All-American trophies, 16 all-region awards, 14 all-conference honors, and eight conference championships. He leaves Simpson holding school records in all six distance races as well as the distance medley relay. Additionally, Moon holds four conference records and ranks top 10 all-time in Division III history for the outdoor 5,000 meters, as well as the indoor 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs.
Cassie Nash, women's soccer and basketball
Nash continued to build upon her impressive list of career accolades as a two-sport star in 2023-24. In the fall, she spearheaded the Simpson women's soccer team's offense during one of the best seasons in program history, contributing 10 assists and scoring 22 of the team's 50 goals. The Storm went 16-3-2 overall and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament after qualifying for the first time in 24 seasons.
Eventually earning First Team All-America honors, Nash started the year by scoring or assisting on nine of Simpson's first 10 goals. She garnered conference and national player of the week recognition after her hot start and was named the league's offensive player of the week three more times before the year was over.
Nash ended the year on a high note as well, scoring 11 goals in the Storm's final six games. She recorded her third career hat trick in Simpson's regular season finale and propelled her team to a runner-up finish in the conference tournament with three more goals. In the NCAA Tournament, she scored twice in a 2-1 victory over St. Catherine and netted the only goal allowed by Wis.-La Crosse on its home turf in 2023. She was recognized as the first three-time all-region player in school history and picked up first team all-conference and All-America honors.
On the basketball court, Nash continued to excel in all areas of the game, earning the title of American Rivers Conference Defensive MVP for the second straight season. She also secured second team all-region honors for the third year in a row thanks to her impressive averages of 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. She shot 57.9 percent from the floor to rank ninth in all of Division III.
Nash scored double-digit points in all but four games this year and had eight games where she scored 20 or more points. Simpson's all-time leader in steals, Nash ended her basketball career ranked fifth all-time with 1,586 career points. She also ranks top five in several other categories, including assists (377), made field goals (634), field goal attempts (1116), made free throws (297), free throw attempts (448) and field goal percentage (56.8). She plans to return to Simpson next fall for one last season on the soccer pitch.
2023-24 SC ESPYS
Reed Worth - Male Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Lara Kallem - Female Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Zach Kline - Male Newcomer of the Year
Emily Williams - Female Newcomer of the Year
Women's Soccer - Coaching Staff of the Year
Men's Track and Field - Team of the Year
Spencer Moon - Male Athlete of the Year
Cassie Nash - Female Athlete of the Year
