Junior Ali Moran, a varsity member of both La Salle’s track & field and cross country teams, throws javelin and is looking to compete in long-distance events this year, such as the 800m and 1500m runs. 

Besides her sports involvement, Moran is focused on her academics, with five of her seven classes being either honors or AP level. These include Honors Biology, Honors Spanish 4, AP Pre Calculus, AP U.S. History, and AP English 3. Her favorite classes are math, science, and Spanish.

Although balancing both her sport and rigorous academic schedule can be challenging for Moran, it encourages her to be intentional with her energy and has helped her develop a sense of efficiency and time management.

“The best thing was just making sure I listened to my body in cross country and took breaks when I needed to,” Moran said. “I did what I could about cross country and then just kind of set that aside when I went to do my homework.”

With her parents’ and sister’s continuous engagement in her life, Moran considers them her biggest supporters, saying they “[do] whatever they can to try to help me get better,” she said.

Another passion of Moran’s is volunteering at the Wichita Center. As a young girl, Moran often drove past the building, and it sparked her interest. Because of her curiosity, when given the opportunity to explore the center, she decided to start volunteering there.

During her time as a volunteer, Moran has had the opportunity to give back to her community and build relationships with her co-workers. Through her work in the clothes closet and food pantry at the center, Moran has had the chance to make connections with the people who come to benefit from the services as well.

She is no stranger to overcoming health issues, but so far, her biggest setback took place in November of last year when she dislocated her kneecap. After sustaining this injury, Moran was unable to continue running the 400m and only did throwing events sophomore year.

Moran’s motivation to overcome her injury came from her love for running and desire to return to it, mainly due to the close environment her team has created around the sport. She cites this familial connection between members as her favorite part of being on the team.

“I wanted to get back to it so badly that I worked incredibly hard over the summer to build strength in my knee and try to get back as soon as possible,” she said.

Moran is inspired by Olympic Javelin thrower Kara Winger, who had a similar injury to her. She has hope for her own athletic journey because Winger was able to resume her rigorous Olympic training even after sustaining her knee injury.  

As the track & field and cross country seasons start before the school year is underway, Moran was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get to know her upperclassmen prior to the beginning of freshman year. The chance to meet people before the start of classes is one of her favorite experiences she’s had in her sport.

“I met so many upperclassmen from it and just felt connections that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t do the sport,” Moran said.

As part of the cross country team, Moran says that all members are responsible for doing their best to not only improve on their own skills, but to encourage each other and work together. Despite the fact that cross country and track & field are sports played individually, each athlete has a duty to uplift everyone else and behave as a team player.

Moran strives to fulfill this expectation by being a “positive voice” among her teammates, she said.

“I think that’s something that I really enjoy doing: helping my teammates all just stay positive during a race, and to also just have fun,” Moran said.

Cross country is important to her because she has connected with many people and pushed past her limits. This sport has taught Moran how she can be a leader and impact others, and it has changed her mindset. This shift empowers her to lead in other aspects of life outside of school. 

Moran said that the sport of cross country reveals that when you put in the work, you can achieve many things. “I think the sport really has changed my perspective on approaching challenges and how you can overcome them,” she said.