The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. and Wendy Moore, a senior in architectural engineering, is already getting out of bed to start her day with one of two daily practices.
Moore says it’s her teammates that get her going when most other students are sound asleep. “It’s tough to force yourself to get up and run at 6 a.m. However, knowing someone expects you to show up motivates you,” she says.
“One reason my teammates are so vital is that we push each other. They work hard right alongside me every day and in turn we make each other better. They are there to cheer me on, they celebrate with me when I succeed and hold me up when I feel like I have failed.”
Originally from Wellsville, Kan., Moore has been running track since the seventh grade. At UMR, running is a year-round sport for her. Training for cross country starts in the summer and continues into the fall. After a week off, she begins to train for indoor track, which lasts the entire winter. Outdoor track training immediately follows.
“Running all year long would be tough if it wasn’t for the people I practice with. We see each other seven days a week, nine months out of the year, so we are all very good friends,” says Moore.
Moore also credits the dedication of her coaches, Sterling Martin and Bryan Schiding, as key to her success. “The coaching staff not only cares about the success of the program, but about each of us individually.”
UMR’s engineering and track programs led Moore to enroll. “I actually didn’t even want to visit UMR, but my dad made me because I had only looked at one other school,” says Moore. “I was totally against it until I got here and learned more about the school. Then I was sold.”
In addition to running up to 70 miles a week, Moore competes in volleyball intramurals and is active in organizations like Blue Key, the Fellowship of Student Athletes, Chi Epsilon, the Student Activity Advisory Council (SAAC), and The Missouri Miner newspaper, where she holds the position of business manager. Moore does all of these activities while maintaining a 3.8 GPA.
One of Moore’s proudest moments came during her freshman year in track when she broke the 600-yard indoor record and made all-conference in the same race.
“I think my driving force is my desire to compete. Once I’m in a race, I want to beat as many people as possible and improve my time,” Moore says. “Plus, you get a high from racing. Once the gun goes off anything can happen. All your nerves go away and you just race.”