Spencer Moon of the Simpson men’s track and field and cross country teams added one more honor to his impressive list of 2022-23 accomplishments as he was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Third Team.
Moon, an accounting and management double major, is the first male runner to earn Academic All-America distinction since Chris Willeman in 1996. Marek Wensel was the program’s first and only other honoree in 1992.
The Lake City, Iowa product began his fourth year at Simpson with a stellar cross country season that was capped with a 10th place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships, the program’s first All-American award since 1989. He ensured his spot at nationals by placing third at regionals, the same meet he became the first runner to be named all-region three times in their career since Danny Bauer in 1982-84.
Moon set the tone for his indoor track campaign early by breaking his own school record in the 5000 meters in his first race of the year alongside a host of Division I runners. Just over a month later, he shattered the school’s indoor mile record set by Jeff Brooks in 1986, leaving just the outdoor 10,000-meter record for him to break. He accomplished that feat in dominating fashion on April 21, breaking Danny Bauer’s 1984 mark by almost 25 seconds to officially own all six distance records at Simpson.
At the two American Rivers Conference Championship meets, Moon won all four races he competed in and was voted the league’s Track MVP in each to become the first individual in Simpson history to sweep the honor at both the indoor and outdoor meets. He claimed his first career indoor title in the 5000 meters and followed that performance by winning the 3000-meter run the next day. Outdoors, he won his second consecutive title in the 5000 meters a day after running to victory in the 10,000 meters. Moon qualified for nationals and earned all-region honors in all four of those events as well.
Moon joins football’s Reed Worth and softball’s Maddie Luderman as Academic All-America honorees from the 2022-23 athletic year.
*from Simpsonathletics.com