Moon to run in second straight NCAA Division III Championship

INDIANAPOLIS - Junior Spencer Moon of Simpson College's men's cross country team has officially been named as an individual qualifier in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday.

Moon's performance in this past weekend's NCAA Division III Midwest Regional ensured his spot as an individual qualifier for the second straight year. After finishing 11th to qualify a year ago, Moon took third overall at this year's meet with a time of 25:09.1 in the 8K event. He was also named All-Region for the third time in his career, the first Storm runner to be named All-Region three times in a career since Danny Bauer in 1982-1984. Moon led the Storm men to an eighth-place finish, as the team finished in the top 10 for the third consecutive time at the regional meet.

Moon finished 118th out of a field of almost 300 of the nation's top runners in last year's race, finishing in 24:57.5. He was the fifth runner representing the American Rivers Conference to cross the finish line.

Leading the Storm at every meet he has participated in this season, Moon has only added to his illustrious career. Moon captured back-to-back individual titles at the Aurora Invitational and Platte River Rumble in early October, his fifth and sixth career individual cross country victories. Moon's victory at the Platte River Rumble was especially notable, as he took down a field largely made up of Division I and II runners, while also running a school record 8K, finishing in 23:34.2.

"I'm thrilled for Spencer to represent Simpson College once again on the national stage", said head coach Heath Moenck. "He is extremely dedicated to the sport and it is gratifying to see his hard work pay off. He's had a terrific season and has set himself up for a great end to it."

In total, 32 teams were selected to participate in the men's race, 10 of those being the champion of each region, while the other 22 earned at-large bids. The remaining top seven individual runners per region who were not a part of a qualifying team were named individual qualifiers. Moon's third place finish at the regional meet earned him the distinction of being the top individual qualifier in the Midwest region.

The NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship will take place in Lansing, Mich., this coming Saturday. The men's race is scheduled to go off at 12 p.m.