Moore continues standard of excellence for XC program

There are few times that a coach can come into a season with such lofty goals as cross country head coach Dan Moore had and then deliver them all. At the beginning of the season, Moore expressed his optimism that both his men’s and women’s teams had the potential to end up on the podium at the season’s conclusion. Both teams were not only able to deliver that result, but were able to exceed Moore’s expectations.

“I knew at the beginning of the season that our women had a very good chance to end the season on the podium,” Moore said. “The men’s team was very good and they kept getting better all year long. So to have both our teams end up on the podium was really something else.”

Moore explained that when the men and the women steamrolled their competition throughout the season, the athletes were all incredibly confident in their individual abilities and their work as a team to take them all the way to the top.

“Our athletes believed all year long that they were one of the best groups in the nation and they were able to prove that to themselves and to the rest of the country,” Moore said.

Moore added that he often told both teams that they were among the best in the nation; rhetoric that was based heavily in truth.

“[Former head coach Mike Woods ‘69] left me such a strong base and upperclassmen,” he said. “This was one of our strongest teams in a long time.”

This year’s Knights are one of only nine teams in the history of Division III cross country that has ever managed to get both their men’s and women’s teams on the podium in the same season, an accomplishment that Moore thinks very highly of.

“Most teams in the country are strong on only one side, either the men or the women. But our program is just that good; we can get both our squads up there,” Moore said. “It really amazes me.”

Considering that it is only his first season, being named the SUNYAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year is a major accolade for Moore. Despite Woods’ impressive legacy, Moore did something that his predecessor wasn’t able to: take home hardware for both teams in the same year. But Moore was quick to admit that without the leadership over the past 20 years from Woods, this program would be nothing like it is now.

“Woodsie was and is the reason for our success. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we just did,” Moore said. “We owe everything to him.”

Given the amazing success of his first season, there seems to be little room for Moore and his teams to improve going forward—if only for both teams to take home first place. And that is a strong possibility for a group of such gifted athletes. The sky is the limit for these teams moving forward and Moore wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cross country takes podium at NCAA Tournament

The Geneseo men’s and women’s cross country teams can look back and smile, knowing that they did what few teams in the history of Division III have ever done. By having both the men and the women end up on the podium at the end of Nationals, they become just the ninth team in the history of Division III to ever do so.

“To be able to do exactly what we had set out from the beginning of the year to do is amazing,” head coach Dan Moore said. “We were able to show how strong of a program Geneseo is.”

The men’s team came in third place; the women were able to secure second place overall—both amazing feats. Both teams had All-American athletes; sophomore Isaac Garcia-Cassani for the men and senior Jacquie Huben for the women earned the honors. Both of these runners were the top finishers for their respective teams.

Moore was quick to share the credit for the success of this season. “[Former head coach Mike Woods ‘69] did such a phenomenal job over the past 23 seasons setting us up for success. Everything can be traced back to him,” he said. “Everyone—the trainers, the assistants, everyone—did such a good job of making sure that we were always at the top of our game. That was instrumental to our goals this year.”

Furthermore, the fact that in his first season as head coach Moore was able to lead both teams on the national podium is quite an outstanding accomplishment.

“It’s amazing, really,” Moore said. “To be able to see what we’ve accomplished and also to think that we can get even better, it’s crazy.”

Moore stressed that the mental toughness of his athletes is second to none. “The whole season, we talked about ‘Find your why.’ It really drove out runners to do this for them, in addition to doing it for the team,” he said. “It added a layer to the season and that really helped us.”

Having the physical and mental stamina to go out for the majority of the semester and have practices, meets, traveling and more—in addition to having all of the regular stress of college academics—is staggering. To then have the runners of the men’s and women’s cross country teams go out and do as well as they did on the national stage is an amazing feat.

The Knights put themselves in the history books as one of the few programs to be good enough to put both squads on the podium at the end of the season. In the coming years, the Knights are going to have to prove that this wasn’t a fluke. Moore’s dedication that he carries personally and instills in his athletes, however, implies that this shouldn’t be an issue.

“This is a pretty high bar to set for my first season but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Moore said. “To try and beat this result every year is something I’m looking forward to.”