Pickerington North senior, Harper Moore recently announced that he'll be heading to Lexington next year to suit up for the Wildcats in cross country competition, as well as distance track events.
Moore, the 6th place finisher at the D1 State Championship, will join teammate and 2019 state champion, Matt Duvall at the SEC school. Duvall announced his intention to join Kentucky in early November.
Moore will bring some serious credentials with him when he reaches the college ranks next fall. Aside from his work in the XC fields, he's a two-time top 10 finisher at the OHSAA State Championship in the 1600 and owns personal best clocking of 4:13.97.
MilesSplit tracked down Harper for more insight on his big news -
Why was the University of Kentucky the right school for you?
"UK was the right choice for me because it felt like home right away. I loved everything about it, and I could see myself working well with the athletes and coaches that were in place. It just felt like the situation was trending in the right direction."
What are you eventually hoping to accomplish at the college level?
"As of now, I don't have any specific goals established for my college career. I just want to become the best runner I can be and help elevate the team to do big things in both cross country and track."
Looking back at your time at Pickerington North, what are some of your most memorable highlights?
"My career highlight from cross country is this past season, when our team placed 5th in the state which is the highest we've ever finished. It was awesome to see everyone reach their goals, especially my teammate Matt Duvall who was able to bring home an individual state championship. I was super happy with my 6th place performance as well because I was aiming for that 5th to 10th place range all season."
"My career highlight for track came during my sophomore year when we had three of our big distance guys place on the podium (top 8) in the same day with Ashwin Briggs in the 800, me in the 1600, and Matt in the 3200. This is also when I hit my lifetime pr in the 1600 and after sort of a down year in track for me last year I hope to make significant strides again this season."
(Harper Moore, shown during his sophomore year, counts a 6th place finish at the 2019 Division 1 State Championship meet among his career highlights)
Who's helped you reach the point to where you're ready to compete in Division 1 at the NCAA level?
"The most assistance has come from my coaches. Coach Starkey and Coach Schneider are the biggest influences on my career, as they help us train throughout the year day in and day out and they really care about us and want to see us improve. I know that with their coaching I'll be more prepared to make the jump from high school to NCAA competition."
Before you depart Pickerington North, what are some things you'd like to accomplish during indoor and outdoor track in the upcoming seasons?
"I don't plan to participate in many indoor meets this season, as my plan is to train hard and really up the mileage during this winter to get ready for outdoor. I will most likely be competing at the SPIRE Showcase and if I were to qualify, the indoor state meet in early March."
"For outdoor, I plan to accomplish a lot: my goals are to run sub 4:10 in the mile, and around 1:52-1:53 in the 800. I want to qualify to run both the 1600 and 800 at the state meet and the ultimate goal is to win a state championship in the 1600."
Coverage -
MileSplit caught up with Matt Duvall and Harper Moore following their 1-2 finish at the Pickerington North Classic back in August -