20 Questions with Lance Moen

Aaron Wolfson
Annabelle de St. Maurice

By Aaron Wolfson
[email protected]

Sophomore runner Lance Moen leads the track and field team into action this year. Recently, he slowed down long enough to chat with Aaron Wolfson about life, track, and the wonderful world of WU.

Q: What do you like most about running track?
A: It’s always been exciting for me, and I enjoy the competition and the opportunity to run in relays with my teammates.

Q: Do you have any siblings?
A: I have two older sisters, one of which ran track. Going to her track meets is really what got me interested in track in the first place.

Q: What’s your favorite class this semester?
A: My most enjoyable class this semester, as of right now, it’s Statics with Dr. Truman.

Q: What is your favorite group to listen to?
A: I listen to every type of music imaginable, so picking out a favorite group would be very difficult for me. I don’t really like to pick favorites.

Q: Have you read any good books lately?
A: I read a great book this summer called The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Q: What sport do you like to watch the most?
A: I enjoy watching the Summer Olympics, especially the track meet. The best runner that I’ve seen there was definitely Michael Johnson in the 400.

Q: How do you like the food on campus?
A: Probably the best thing about it is the pasta at Center Court, considering I eat it every single evening, every day.

Q: What is track practice like?
A: The best aspect of practice is getting to spend time with friends, and also getting a good workout in. However, I’m not a big fan of the weightlifting, as it’s always been a challenge for me.

Q: What are your plans for after WU?
A: After I graduate, I’d like to go into the Peace Corps, and then look into graduate studies. But right now I’m unsure beyond that.

Q: You’ve probably had a lot of great meets, but which one stands out as the best to you?
A: My best meet to date would be spring’s outdoor conference meet at Emory where we took third as a
team, and I also had a very good split in the 4×400 finals.

Q: Do you have a favorite place on campus that you like to go?
A: I’m a big fan of Holmes Lounge, which is where I try to eat every day for lunch. I also like just sitting in the Quad and looking at all the buildings surrounding it.

Q: How often are you on AIM?
A: Although I’m usually not in my room, I never sign
off, so I’m on there 24 hours a day.

Q: What do you like best about living in Minnesota?
A: My favorite thing about Minnesota is the winter
season; I’m a big fan of snow, and I enjoy getting to play snow games.

Q: Do you drive a car or just run everywhere?
A: Unfortunately I don’t have a car here this year, however at home I am fortunate enough to drive a 1967 Chrysler 300.

Q: Ever pulled any pranks on the rest of the team?
A: Not yet.

Q: Have any cool nicknames?
A: Some nicknames that I’ve gotten from the track team are O Daddy, which is on the back of one of the shirts that I wear, and P.D.

Q: How did you acquire that one?
A: I don’t really want to divulge that right now.

Q: What event do you most enjoy running in?
A: That would definitely have to be the 4×400 relay, just because it’s at the end of each meet and is usually the big deciding factor for the outcome and the team’s score. It’s a very exciting race because everyone gathers around the track and cheers and gets really into the race.

Q: Do you have any pre-meet superstitions?
A: It’s not so much of a superstition, but it’s just a ritual that I go through before every meet to prepare myself mentally and physically. Then when I race, my mind is completely clear. I can’t even hear people screaming from the sidelines.

Q: What IM sports do you like to participate in?
A: Unfortunately, since track is such a big time commitment, I don’t really have time to do any IM sports, but if I did I would definitely pick Ultimate Frisbee,
which I became a big fan of over the summer.

Q: What are your expectations for the team this year?
A: I think this is going to be a great season coming up for the team, because we have a lot of strong talent returning and some great new freshmen coming in, so hopefully we’ll be placing well and making good showings at the conference meets and advancing quite a few people to the national meets.

Q: What do you like to do off campus?
A: I just like going out to eat with friends and spending some time away from school.

Q: Do you have a favorite sports memory?
A: My favorite memory from running track would have to be achieving my long-time goal of being state champion my senior year, when I won the 400m dash in Minnesota.

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