After a breakout performance at Great American Holy Trinity senior Daniel Moore saw his college value increase dramatically. Moore's new course record and sub 15 minutes had colleges calling that he had never dreamed of including Duke University. Moore made it official the end of October and says the opportunity to be a part of the Blue Devil family was something he couldn't pass up.
"Running was a big factor and so were education and weather. North Carolina weather is awesome and the running is very solid with trails right on campus. The academics are top ten in the nation. I also had friends that went there and liked it. I felt like I could see myself enjoying it a lot there."
Former Brevard County standouts Kayla Hale and Brian Atkinson are on the Duke roster. Hale who was a teammate of Moore's at Holy Trinity is redshirting her junior year while Atkinson is only a sophomore. Moore says that wasn't a deciding factor, but it is always good to have familiar faces around.
"I knew Kayla from Holy Trinity, but I also knew Brian from my church. We are good friends and I am looking forward to being his teammate because he is a great runner. I look forward to hanging out with them and being on the team with them."
It's been a whirlwind October for Moore. He went from performing in North Carolina at Great American to signing with the Durham school all in a months' time.
"It was pretty crazy because Coach Ogilvie from Duke gave me a deadline because he was going to have other guys fill the spot if I passed on the offer. It was a pretty crazy October. October 1st is when Great American was and I ran my time and I went thru the whole process in less than a month and then the 30th I chose Duke so it all happened so fast."
Now that his college choice has been made Moore can focus on his senior season. He is currently ranked as the top runner in 1A and his Holy Trinity squad is the favorite for the team title. He knows the pressure that comes with being at the top and isn't shying away.
"It's definitely very nice to have all that done so I don't have to spend time on little things like if I am making the right decisions or not. I'm going to be very happy at Duke, but this year is about achieving our goals in cross country and track. We want to win the state and I want to get the individual title."
Personal Bests
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1600 Meter Run4:34.00
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3200 Meter Run9:44.14
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5000 Meter Run14:57.60
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