Central alum Connor Moore plays crucial role in SEMO's track championship

Connor Moore was competing for a state championship just a year ago.

Fast forward to last weekend, and the Cape Central alum played a pivotal role in Southeast Missouri State capturing the men’s Ohio Valley Conference championship.

SEMO had a one-point lead on conference newcomer Little Rock with the 4x400-meter relay, the final race of the event, left to run. With Moore starting the race, followed by Markeith Crawford, Brenden Parham, and Terrico Garrett, the Redhawks took first place and clinched their second conference title in a row. The SEMO women also won the OVC title to go with their indoor championship earlier in the year.

Before the sound of the starting gun going off, all Moore could think about was a strong start off the blocks.

“You don't want to false start because then you ruin the whole relay for your team,” Moore said. “I was pretty nervous because actually, I was alternate at the time.”

Moore was the only freshman on that crucial 4x400m relay team and had a lot to prove. When he passed the baton to his teammate after expending all of his energy to run through a lap as fast as possible, SEMO was in second place, and the excitement of watching his teammates finish the job kept him going.

"I was relieved to just hand it off. After the handoff, I'm exhausted, but once I caught my breath, I'm on my feet just cheering them on, trying to get them through that lap," Moore said. "Once [Terrico Garrett ] ran it, we all just crashed him because he ended up pulling it away. It was definitely the best I've ever felt and the most relief too because we won by two points."

Moore originally went into the OVC championships to compete in the open 400m and 4x100m relay, with Parham, Chris Johnson, and Momoh Brema. He finished the 400m in sixth place with a run of 48.03, a new personal record. The 4x100 team also took third place with a time of 41.34.

"I was definitely exhausted but it was just so relieving to see that time and know that I hit the time I wanted to hit," Moore said on the 400m. "That was probably the best feeling."

That earned him a spot on the 4x400m.

"Every second counted," Moore said. "It came down to the wire. It was cool when [SEMO coach Theresa Scott] wanted me to run it."

This run was a year in the making. Moore had his sights set on breaking 49 seconds in the 400m in the 2022 SEMO Conference meet at Cape Central High School. A hamstring injury hampered his chances in the state championships and his shot at a scholarship at SEMO, where reaching the 49-second threshold was required.

Moore joined the Redhawks as a preferred walk-on and proved the potential that Scott saw in him.

"It's huge considering I came from an injury last year, so I couldn't really perform my hardest in state," Moore said. "Going through all that and finally being able to hit the PRs that I wanted to hit all year, it's pretty huge to me."

Moore said during the signing ceremony last year that joining SEMO as a preferred walk-on was a "dream come true" and "an answer to my prayers." His freshman season was a year-long tryout for him to earn his stripes and scholarship. Moore said it would be "relieving" if he were to get a scholarship at SEMO.

"I've been working all year for it, fighting through injury," Moore said. "I definitely think it would be pretty cool because no one in my family has gone through college in sports. So being the first to actually do it will be pretty cool."