Left photo by D3photography.com. Right photo by i35photography.

Posted: May 23, 2024

NATIONAL CHAMPION! Moon wins 10,000 meter run

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Spencer Moon of the Simpson College men's track and field team etched his name into history once again by winning the 10,000 meter national title at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.

Moon bested the field in 30:41.91, securing the victory with a blistering final lap of 1:04.99.

"Winning the race was really special because I've had a tough go at nationals for awhile," said Moon. "I would always have one of the fastest times going into the meet but could never perform when I was there. This time was different for a couple of reasons. I went into the race a lot more relaxed than I have in previous national meets and treated it like a normal meet. Also, I had a lot more confidence from the training I put in during cross country and the results from indoor track and the times I ran during outdoor track."

The Lake City, Iowa native becomes the fifth athlete in program history to win a national championship. He joins Kip Janvrin, Bret Hennessy, Danny Bauer and Kirk Pederson who combined for eight titles between 1981-88.

"Spencer Moon is a national champion, how awesome is that!" said Heath Moenck, director of track and field and cross country. "He has worked tirelessly for this achievement and tonight was the accumulation of a storied career. I couldn't be more grateful for what Spencer has given to this program and college. He is as special as they come."

"I came back for a fifth year because I wanted a couple more chances like this with Heath," said Moon. "It was so special to share that with Heath because he is a big reason I came to Simpson and he is a great coach and friend."

Moon now owns three All-American awards on the track. He's only the 10th athlete in program history to garner at least three All-American honors and will look to add a fourth on Saturday night when he competes in the 5,000 meters.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Moon stayed near the front for the entire race, answering multiple charges from runners looking to break away over the latter part of the race. The race eventually became a three-man affair, with Simon Heys of Wilmington and conference foe Jacob Schermerhorn of Wartburg separating themselves from the field.

Schermerhorn kicked with less than 800 meters to go, dropping Heys from winning contention, and opening up a small gap on Moon. Moon steadily closed the gap and nearly pulled in front as the final lap bell sounded, but Schermerhorn maintained the lead through the first curve. With around 200 meters to go, Moon made his first attack of the race, passing Schermerhorn on the outside. Schermerhorn could not respond over the last 100 meters, and Moon broke away to a much-deserved national title in a time of 30:41.91. Moon clocked a time of 1:04.99 on the final lap, the fastest lap of any runner over the entire race.

DAY ONE OF THE DECATHLON
Ulysses Patterson sits in All-American contention after the first day of the decathlon. The senior is in ninth after five events, just 60 points outside the top five. Patterson's two best performances came in the final two events of the day, taking fourth place in the high jump with a mark of 1.88 meters and duplicating his finish in the 400 meters with a time of 50.65.

UP NEXT
Patterson will resume competition tomorrow at 11 a.m. Max Cleveland will compete in the 110 meter hurdles tomorrow afternoon, while Moon still has the 5,000 meters on tap on Saturday.

MEET REPORT