Moreno Adds Name to Record Books in Three Sports During First Year

First-year Gabe Moreno -- a member of three Prairie Fire athletic teams who already owns several of the top performances by a runner in school history -- is continuing a family legacy.

Gabe, a Galesburg native who had a sensational high school career before choosing to continue his love of running and learning at Knox College, broke two records during the 2011 indoor track and field season. His name is currently associated with 16 of the best indoor and outdoor track performances of all-time, earning him numerous awards for his efforts.

His parents, Alex '93 and Debbie Moreno '89, were both student-athletes at Knox. Alex set several all-time top 10 marks in both indoor and outdoor track and field and is among the best cross country performers in Knox's history.

Gabe kicked off his college career last fall while running for the Prairie Fire Men's Cross Country team. He earned three Prairie Fire Performer of the Week Awards during the 2010 season and ran his fastest time during the final race in November. He completed the 8K at the 2010 NCAA Division III Regional Championships in Rock Island in 26:49, shaving two seconds off his previous best time to rank him 12th on the cross country all-time top 25 individual list.

That was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Gabe would accomplish, beginning with the 2011 indoor track and field season-opener, the Knox Invitational, on January 15.

Gabe broke the school record in the one mile run in his first indoor meet, crossing the finish line in 4:35.08 to top the previous fastest time of 4:37.31 set in January 2008, by Tim Rairdon. A little over a month later, on February 19, Moreno set another record in the 3K run. He completed the race at the University of Dubuque in 8:58.55, besting the nearly 11-year-old mark of 9:00.18 by Paul Grinis set in March 2000.

Besides holding the record in the 3K, Gabe also recorded the third (9:00.99), seventh (9:05.84) and 10th (9:13.72) fastest performances all-time in the event. In addition, he owns the eighth (15:52.12) and 10th (15:55.80) fastest times in the 5K and was part of the distance medley relay team that ran the second (10:57.22) and fifth (11:05.20) fastest times on record.

Dan Zierfuss, Knox head cross country and track and field coach, doesn't think it's a stretch to say that Moreno was born to run.

"With his father being as talented of a runner as he when he was competing at Knox , I think Gabe was going to be a runner. He has shown that he was made to run," Zierfuss said. "He has all of the tools necessary for it and the sky really is the limit for him. He's somebody I think could come through Knox College and be the best distance runner that we've ever had."

Gabe added two more all-time top five performances during the outdoor track season. He owns the fifth fastest times in the 5K (15:42.61) and 10K (33:08.54). He also secured another pair of Prairie Fire Performer of the Week Awards during the indoor and outdoor seasons for a total of five in 2010-2011, by far the most of any student-athlete.

Zierfuss said Gabe is the same no matter how much success he achieves.

"Gabe is probably one of the most humble young men I've ever met. For somebody who has as much talent as he has, he is so down to earth and willing to talk to anybody, whether they're a great athlete or not. He talks to everybody on the team. He is a very modest person," Zierfuss said. "He does not have that superstar ego. It's a testament to his upbringing. His parents did a wonderful job raising him, and it shows."

That's not to say Gabe isn't a fiery competitor. Twice during the outdoor season, he beat times established by his father, Alex, on the all-time performance lists for the 5K and 10K. The younger Moreno did it the first time on April 9, 2011, at Western Illinois University, when he ran the 10K in 33:08.54, besting Alex's fastest time in the event (33:09.00 in April 1988) by just .46 seconds.

Gabe's time ranks as the fifth best performance in the event by a Knox men's runner, while Alex's career best is sixth all-time. The elder Moreno, however, also holds the seventh, eighth and ninth fastest times in the 10K.

Alex was on hand to see his son beat his previous best time in the 5K during the Midwest Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 14 at Monmouth College. Gabe's time of 15:42.61 moved him into the top 10 all-time performances at #5, while knocking Alex off of the all-time performance list. Alex was a member of the 1987 Midwest Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship team and still holds the eighth fastest time in the 5K by an individual -- 15:56.07 -- that he ran exactly 23 years to the date of this year's conference championships.

He was proud to see his son pass him in the record books.

"I've been prepping him for this since he was a little guy. We have photos of me taking him to our cross country meets when I was a senior at Knox and me holding him after the race with all of the cross country runners around us."

"We've nurtured running from the very beginning," said Debbie, who noted that Gabe first ran around a track while she held his hand at the age of 16 months.

Gabe has hunted down Alex's top times since he was very young with the goal of beating them. "I have coached him since he was a little kid to do that just because it's a healthy way to rival with your son," Alex said.

Both Alex and Debbie have long emphasized something about the sport they believe is very important.

"Running is supposed to be fun. It should be an enjoyable activity," Debbie said. "At first, it was just Alex's motto and and then it became Gabe's motto. Now, it's our family motto: run for fun, enjoy yourself. Alex and Gabe both have jackets that say that."

"It's not just about times," Debbie said, "it's about having a greater experience, learning about yourself and giving to others. I think being on a team is a tremendous experience that can't be underestimated."

Neither Alex nor Debbie Moreno is surprised that their son had such a terrific first year, in part, because he's always striving to do better.

"He's always been a very focused and devoted son, not only in athletics but also with his family and in education," Alex said.

Debbie agrees with Alex that their son is very focused and goal-oriented.

"It's part of who he is. He's hard on himself, but he also does sit back and enjoy himself. He really works to balance those two things," she said.

Gabe is the oldest of the Moreno's five children, and all of them run as part of what Alex calls a family tradition.

"One of the things we do in the heat of the summer is take all of the children out to the track," he said. "We go get ice cream and eat it as we walk around the track. As soon as we're finished with our ice cream, we start doing relays. I place Gabe at the start, and I stagger all my five kids, and they all run toward the finish line."

Debbie, while not surprised at how well Gabe has flourished in his first year at Knox, admits that she didn't anticipate how proud she is to have a legacy at Knox.

"Alex and I have an incredibly strong connection to Knox College. This place truly changed our lives way before that ever became a school motto. To know that our child and all of our children understand how profound this institution has been for us, and that they also want to have that, is a beautiful surprise I just didn't expect at all. The fact that Gabe can be doing this in such an outstanding way -- it leaves you speechless."

Along with his five Prairie Fire Performer of the Week honors, Gabe was named the recipient of two prestigious athletic awards at Knox during the 2011 Awards Banquet on May 25. He received the Arvid P. Zetterberg, Jr. Prize for Men and the Harley Knosher Male Athlete of the Year Award.

The Zetterberg Prize for Men is given to the student-athlete who, during his first year, exemplified the highest quality of character, scholarship and interest in sports. The Knosher Award was established in honor of Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Famer Harley Knosher for his many contributions to the Knox community during his four decades (1960-2000) of service as a faculty member, coach and athletic director.