Hannah Moore & Dripping Springs Look For Podium Finish!

Dripping Springs girls after their win at the Austin Westlake Invitational Photo By: Travis Miller

The Dripping Springs girls team has had a solid season running well against some big competition. They won both their District and Region meet easily and are looking to continue running well at State. We talked to Dripping Springs senior Hannah Moore to find out a little more about her goals at State, what it's been like to be the only senior on the team, and what the journey has been like getting to State. Check out her answers below in todays road to state Q&A.

Texas MileSplit: Can you describe the emotions of not only yourself, but also your coach and the team after winning District and then Region?

Hannah Moore: Our wins at District and Regionals were so exciting! We have all worked so hard this season and so it felt so good to see the results show in such a big way. Coach Parks is the most selfless person ever and she has invested so much time in this team to prepare us both physically and mentally and I know that the titles meant just as much to her as they did to all of us so it was so much fun to get to share that success with her as well.

Texas MileSplit: What has that meant for your senior year? At the beginning of the year did you think

the team would make it this far?

Hannah Moore: Although you can never be sure of what would happen, we felt fairly confident of where our season would take us, as 6 of our top 7 runners from last year returned and we also had such talent coming up in the freshman. All of the success we have seen this season means so much to me being a senior. There is no other way that I would have wanted to end my high school cross country season or with any other team.

Texas MileSplit: The team is kind of an underdog coming into State do you like that? Do you feel like the team can surprise some people this weekend?

Hannah Moore: It's definitely exciting to us to be such an underdog team. Last year we were so excited to just be able to race at state, but this year it is a whole new experience to not only be able to race with the best teams, but to potentially place up there at the top.

Texas MileSplit: Being the lone senior in the top 7 what advice have you been giving to the younger girls?

Hannah Moore: Being a senior on a young team has been really fun this year. I have really enjoyed spending the year with them and cannot wait to come back to see all that they accomplish in the years to come. The biggest advise that I have for them, and that I do my best to remind them, is not to let their nerves overcome them and control their race, but to leave their nerves on the start line and to trust in their training and the work they have put in once the gun goes off.

Texas MileSplit: What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced as a team this year?

Hannah Moore: Our team as a whole hasn't been troubled by many challenges this year. Although many of our runners are Freshman, they automatically fit right into our culture and have been such a big part of all of our success. I would say that our biggest challenge has been the high levels of competition we have faced, racing against several 6A schools, and not allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by it.

Texas MileSplit: What are you most excited for about the State meet and why?

Hannah Moore: More than anything, I am excited that qualifying for State gave me one more opportunity to race alongside my team. They have become my best friends and I am going to miss having them all as teammates, so I will really cherish this last time taking the start line with them.

Texas MileSplit: What's like to be nearing the end of your final season with Dripping Springs?

Hannah Moore: It's crazy to me that this weekend will be my last cross country race with Dripping Springs. Like I said, I will miss my team so much and the family-like culture. It makes me so sad to think that I will no longer be running under Coach Parks, who has played such a big part in instilling in me the love for running, but I am also so excited for what is coming next year at Dallas Baptist.

Texas MileSplit: Describe some of your personal goals at state, and some of the team goals?

Hannah Moore: Something that excites me about state is that there is really nothing to lose at this point. Our past success cannot be taken away and there is no real loser. Because of this, my goal is to go out on Saturday and see what I am capable of. I hope to end my high school career with a race that I am proud of and that I know I made the most of this gift I've been blessed with. As a team our main goal is to make it onto the podium. There is quite a few teams who are all so talented, and we are aware that it will require a good day, but I have no doubt that each of my teammates will give everything they have to do their part in getting us there.

Texas MileSplit: What are some of your pre and post race rituals?

Hannah Moore: This summer I lost my grandpa. He invested so much time in getting to know more about cross country so that he could talk to me about my workouts and races and my teams progress and really understand what it all meant. After each race I would send him long emails detailing what happened throughout the race and how it went and he would email back how proud he was and what he thought about the race. I have one of the letters that he sent me before my regional track meet a few years ago printed out in my spike bag and I read it on the start line at every meet to remind myself that he's still watching every race and also because his advise is pretty helpful! After that I pray over my team and then we all recite the Lord's Prayer together while holding pinkies. Then we are ready to race! My very favorite part of race day is my post race ritual of laying flat on the ground with my teammate Alyssa Schroeder and telling each other all about how we felt during the race and which parts of the course we liked or didn't like.

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