NEW ORLEANS – Fresh off of claiming a school record and an automatic national qualifying time in the 60-meter dash, junior sprinter Devon Moore has been awarded the National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Tuesday.
It is the first time in program history that an Eagle has earned the honor during the indoor season. For Moore (Baxley, Ga.) the sprinter earned the same award during the outdoor track and field season in April of last season for his performance in the 100 meters. His mark of 6.71 seconds in the 60 is the second-fastest time in the sprint among all Division II athletes this season and came during Moore's first event since rejoining the team after football season.
With his ticket booked to Birmingham, Ala. for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, coach David Needs praised Moore for his maturity and growth, both on and off the track.
"He and I talked yesterday, this could be a very special season and Devon is a kind of person that wants to do more with it than just run fast," Needs said. "He wants to be the kind of person that God wants him to be, too, through this experience and use this as a platform to be something special."
Coach Needs described him as "quieter by nature" but also a teammate that gives advice to other runners and leads by example off the blocks. His leadership and mentoring have helped to bring other runners up a level, as teammates such as Toot Johnson (Rincon, Ga.) joining him in the 60 finals last Saturday at the ETSU Invitational. C-N made up two lanes of the final eight runners for the sprint.
The athlete of the week award selected by the USTFCCA is presented at the beginning of each week to eight collegiate indoor track and field athletes, according to its website.
Moore will rest this weekend before the squad returns to action at the Finn Pincus Invitational in Salem, Va. on Jan. 24-25.
