In a sport where nothing is guaranteed, Mitchell Moore, through hard work and determination, found a way to continually achieve success.
Moore, junior, is in his third season as a cross country runner at California Baptist University. Last year, he was the teams No. 2 runner, and this season he has worked on his craft and moved into the number one spot.
He was named the “Runner of the Week” for the Pacific West conference for the second time this season on Oct. 1.
“I was truly blessed to win the award,” Moore said. “I run because I love my coach, and I love my teammates, and I have been blessed to achieve the things I have this year.”
Moore said that the main goal of the cross country team at CBU is winning a conference title.
He mentioned that cross country running is all about the team, stating that he could not achieve anything individually, only if he and his team performed to the best of their ability.
In order to promote team unity head coach Sean Henning has the
team run in groups. This helps to ensure that no runner gets too confident in their own individual abilities.
Moore partners with freshman runner, Trevor Henson. The two have had close to identical times in most races so far this season; however, Moore has come out first three times and Henson twice.
“We have a good team here. We all want to be number one, but to get to nationals we have to work as a team,” Moore said. “This is our first season in this conference, winning the conference would be great.”
Moore achieved his fastest career time earlier in the season, running a 24:31:01 at the UC Riverside 8K. That equates to just less than four minutes a mile. The program record is 24:22, set by Ricardo Etheridge in 1999.
In order to achieve the success he has experienced over the years, Moore has had to put in his fair share of work and he recognizes that it is paying off.
“The 16 mile runs and all the work from over summer are really paying off this year,” Moore said.
Even after all his success, Moore remains humble. “We have had a different number one runner every year since I have been here…This is just my breakout year, it could be someone else next year,” he said.
Cross Country will next compete at the Pacific West conference championships in Phoenix, Ariz. on Oct. 29.
