PA Salute To Seniors: Alex Moran - Mount Lebanon
What was your most memorable race/competition?
-My most memorable race was definitely Baldwin Invitational junior year. It’s where I ran my pr for the mile and it was also a great between Ryan Gil and myself. At the end he got the better of me but that race gave me the confidence to go into states and try to compete there. It also got my name out there in the college level and ultimately got me recruited.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
-I faced my biggest competition at Outdoor States my junior year. Drew had already run 4:10 and some of the reputations I was going to run against really humbled my thoughts on that race. It turned out well in the end but it was definitely one of the most difficult races I have ever run.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
-Out of all of my high school accomplishments making states my sophomore year for track stand out the most. This is only because I missed cross country by less than a second, then I missed indoors for the mile by less than a second. When WPIALs came around for outdoors, I was determined and then was ecstatic when I qualified haha.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your athletic career in high school?
-If I could go back and do this whole thing over again, I would change my mileage. Even over the summer my mileage never got as high as it could/should have been. This ultimately was my weak point toward the end of the season when everyone still had the strength to carry through, I had to rely on just trying to get one last race out of my legs instead of being confident about it and really pushing through.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
-My size. I’ve always been a little bit on the short size and for a distance runner, I’m very short. Some of the kids like Ned Willig and Tom Coyle take 3 strides for my 4, so it’s a disadvantage, but in races and in practice I never really think about it, but looking back on it I would definitely say my size.
What will you miss the most?
-I will definitely miss some of the friends I’ve made. My closest friends are on the track team and most of them are staying a lot closer to home than I am, so I think that’s going to be a tough adjustment even though I will be on a new team next year. It’s also going to be tough to be the little fish again. As bad as that sounds, I’m nervous about it. Going from being one of the frontrunners to just another kid in the pack is going to be interesting, but I think everything will work out eventually.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
-My advice for younger athletes is just to keep pushing through it and never get too big of a head. I learned it the hard way sophomore year by getting smacked in the head with missing states twice, and it really sucked haha. But always remember that the past is the past. A time last year or last week does not determine the outcome of the race tomorrow.
How have your coaches influenced your performances and your life goals overall?
-I have had a very interesting career so far with my coaches. Coach A has been there since July 1 the summer before my freshman year up until my last workout before NBON this year. I have learned many things from him and also my teammates, but I have to say that the main thing he influenced was bringing the team together. No matter what the cost was, he always managed to keep the guys close.
What are your college plans?
-I am going to the University of Michigan next year and hopefully studying either Biology or some other type of science degree on the pre-med track. Haven’t completely decided this part yet haha. I will also be running for Coach Gibby on the cross country and track team. GO BLUE!!!
Shout-Outs?
-Shout out to Rad and Sean for kicking my a*s freshman and sophomore year and not giving me any slack. What-so-ever.
-Shout out to my girlfriend Bea Goodyear for always being at my races (even though you were running also?). But seriously thank you so much…
-Last but not least, my parents. Rain, snow, sun, sleet once or twice, they have always been there no matter what, on or off the track. It’s gonna be tough next year without that guaranteed cheer.
Want to be featured in our PA Salute To Seniors series? Drop me a line: don@penntrackxc.com and answer the questions above! Congratulations to the class of 2012 on all their hard work and success.
