After a banner year, Burlington High School junior Marshall Moyer was named the Gatorade Iowa Cross Country Runner of the Year. Moyer, the 2009 Class 4A state champion, received the award on Thursday. Moyer says he was surprised to win the award as a junior and was surprised to find out right away.
Moyer says the award says a lot about the program. He says it is a nice testament to the work he gave, but also to the coaches and the whole team. With his first place finish, Moyer helped the Grayhounds to the state title. He also finished tenth place at the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional Championships last fall.
Burlington Cross Country Coach Jim Hoffman says the ward isn’t based just on running, but also on grades and other activities. Moyer is a 4.0 student and a member of the student council. Hoffman noted that the award couldn’t go to a more deserving athlete. Hoffman says it’s amazing that Moyer won the award as a junior with all the great runners in the state.
This is the third straight year The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, has honored a cross country runner from the state of Iowa and the first for a Burlington High School runner to receive the honor. Moyer is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced later this month.
By Michael Cation KBUR Burlington