Moenck takes home SC ESPY for Coach of the Year
INDIANOLA, Iowa - Following a year full of broken records, regional and national rankings, awards, and trips to nationals, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Heath Moenck has been tabbed this year's SC ESPY Coach of the Year.
The 2022-23 athletic year was Moenck's 12th at Simpson and he started things off by leading both the men's and women's cross country teams to successful seasons. Both programs were regionally ranked in all nine polls released, with the men coming in as high as sixth and the women as high as seventh.
Under Moenck's leadership, Spencer Moon placed 10th overall at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, earning the program's first All-American honor since 1989. Moenck also oversaw Moon's third-place finish at the regional meet, the junior's third straight all-region award. At the women's regional race, the Storm captured their highest finish since 1991 with a seventh-place showing. Lara Kallem paced the squad with the highest individual finish by a Simpson runner since 2010.
In track and field, Moenck and head coach Aaron Fuller led the men's indoor team to its first national ranking since the preseason poll in the 2018 season, with the team appearing in three total national polls. The indoor team was also ranked in all seven editions of the regional poll, while the outdoor squad made appearances in three regional polls.
Individually, the track and field season was highlighted by local product Max Cleveland earning All-American honors in the outdoor 110 meter hurdles, the program's first All-American winner since the 2017-18 season. Overall, four athletes competed in nine total events between the indoor and outdoor national championships: Moon qualified for four events (indoor 3000m, indoor 5000m, outdoor 5000m and outdoor 10,000m), Berkey competed in the indoor and outdoor long jump, Cleveland qualified for the indoor 60m hurdles in addition to his outdoor race, and Ulysses Patterson competed in his first national championship in the outdoor decathlon.
The track and field season also saw numerous athletes break school records and take home all-conference and all-region honors, highlighted by Moon becoming the first Simpson athlete to sweep both the indoor and outdoor conference track MVP awards. Moon won four event titles between the two A-R-C Championships and also eclipsed a nearly four-decade-old record in the outdoor 10,000 meters, officially making him the owner of all six distance records at Simpson.
Cleveland, Clarke Latcham and Patterson also earned all-conference awards for the men's team, while Teghan Booth, Aaliyah Johnson and the indoor distance medley relay team of Kate Huisinga, Aryss Forbes, Ava Carder and Booth were all-conference honorees on the women's side. Other record-breaking performances included Kallem shattering a 33-year-old record in the outdoor 5,000 meters and Berkey becoming the indoor long jump record holder with the program's farthest leap in 37 seasons.
2022-23 SC ESPYs
Heath Moenck - Coach of the Year
Easton Darling - Male Newcomer of the Year
Elle Street - Female Newcomer of the Year
Andrew Gibb - Male Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Kate Minette - Female Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
