Hillsdale senior Peter Moore is ready to take long jumping talents to Olivet College

It has been a long school year for many multi-sport senior athletes at Hillsdale High School. Spring championship season is nearly on the horizon, and many seniors across the county are beginning their graduation ceremonies and preparing to end their high school athletic careers.

For some seniors, their journey will continue for another few years as they make their final commitments to collegiate programs across the country. Hillsdale High School has been a hub for many colleges interested in track and field recruits.

This year has been no exception. Hornet senior and multi-sport athlete Peter Moore plans to join the list of alumni who have graduated through the ranks of the Hillsdale track program and joined a prestigious collegiate athletic program. The senior decided to take his long jumping skills to the next level, signing with the Olivet College Track and Field team just before the start of his senior season.

Journey to Olivet

The senior was joined by his parents, Richard and Micha Moore, and head coach Clay Schiman for the signing day. The signing was the start of his next chapter and one of the last steps in closing out his long journey of work for the Hornet athletic programs.

Olivet College wasn't originally in Moore's plans. Moore was a member of EMC, taking college courses while in high school. He originally had plans to continue his studies at Jackson College, but things changed after a visit to Olivet. His uncle is a professor at the College, and that also greatly influenced his decision to look into the college more.

"Olivet is so personal and hands on," said Peter Moore. "I was originally going to do a fifth year at Jackson, but then I took a tour of Olivet and everything seemed to fall into place."

Moore also looked at St. Francis College for collegiate athletics, but he did not take a visit there. Moore isn't the first member of his family to pursue collegiate athletics. His sister, Madeline Moore, went to Hope College track and field.

His path into track and field wasn't directly inspired by family roots. Football was his family's first sport, and he continued the passion for that sport in high school. However, Moore said that the environment around the track team has been supportive of their individual pursuits, which helped inspire his confidence to continue learning and getting better at long jump and running events.

Moore has been a part of two state qualifying track teams while at Hillsdale, including earning a runner-up finish two seasons ago. That connection between those teams and their success helped inspire him to take the next steps in his track career.

"Being on both of those teams and seeing the connection everyone has and how hard everyone works has been inspiring," said Moore.

Moore has specialized in long jump throughout his track and field career. His passion for long jump started from watching former teammate Brock Woodard jump when he was in middle school.

"It started back in middle school watching Brock (Woodard) jump," said Moore. "He kind of took me under his wing and then I found a passion for it. I started winning and everything kind of lined up in place."

Moore plans to continue his family's educational and business pursuits by focusing on a degree in insurance. Moore said that his dad helped inspire his potential study focus.

"I'm excited to have a son that wants to follow in my profession," said Moore's dad, Richard Moore. "Olivet had one of the top insurance programs in the United States. There has been a lot of success at Olivet. For him to want to pursue that on his own is outstanding, and as a father I'm excited for him to maybe join me in the business in a few years. We think Olivet will be a great fit for Peter. The classroom advantage will bring him a lot of opportunities and success."

Moore thanked his parents for helping him achieving his goals. "Thank you for helping me become the best person I could be," said Moore. Peter also thanked coach Schiman and his other coaches for being welcoming and helping their teams reach the success they did.

Moore's parents believe Olivet will bring Peter a host of new challenges to tackle, and they believe his ability to tackle those challenges has been one of the main things that helped him rebound from his knee surgery.

"We are very proud of how hard he works," said Micha Moore. "His ability to push through challenge and to keep fighting for what his goals are will help him take on the next chapter."

In addition to his sister Madeline, Moore has an older brother: Anders Moore. He is a graduate of Michigan State and is a second lieutenant in the Army. His younger sister, Annemarie Moore, is a junior at Hillsdale and is also a track athlete for the Hornets. His family hopes to see both Annemarie and Peter's teams qualify for states this year. They also are looking forward to another few years of watching Peter compete in the sport he has found a home in.

Leader in the Fall, Winter and Spring

Peter Moore's journey through track and field has been filled with adversity and challenges. The senior lost out on many opportunities his junior year due to an extensive knee injury from the 2021 football season that required surgery. Moore's parents said that the senior wasn't fully healthy heading into his junior year of track after missing the entirety of the basketball season. Despite the major obstacles that were in front of him, the senior continued to work towards his final year of sports.

Before his final season of track began, he had already accomplished much in terms of leadership and stats during his time with the Hornets.

His 2021 track and field campaign saw him capture one first place finish, four second place finishes and four third place finishes in long jump. At the Regional Finals, he qualified for the state meet and took 20th overall. His 2022 season saw the senior gradually return to long jump. He ended the year with one first place finish and four second place finishes. He took third at the Area Best meet.

Moore was one of the key leaders for the Hillsdale Hornet varsity football team the past two seasons. The running back and linebacker was one of the team's leading rushers his senior season. Moore earned All-Area Dream Team honorable mention for the linebacker position in 2022. He had 300 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He also earned the team Leadership award this past season.

In the winter, he was one of the team captains for the Hillsdale boys basketball team, having been through multiple coaching changes throughout his career. Despite the program transitions, he remained a constant leader for the younger teammates in the program and contributed on the court. He was an honorable mention selection for the 2022-23 Boys Prep Hoops Dream Team. He also won the team Hustle award this season.

The senior is not just an excellent multi-sport athlete for the Hornets, he was a leader in the classroom. He was the recipient of the LCAA Scholar Athlete Honor. The award is given to senior athletes who have earned a 3.5 GPA or higher, participated in a sport three out of their four years and participated in two sports their senior year.

Head coach Clay Schiman and the Hornets have had a tremendous start to the 2022-23 season. The boys team took fifth at the EMU Huron Relays. They took fourth at the Grass Lake Invite. They took fifth at the Gull Lake Invitational. They took second at the Whitmore Lake Invite. They took fourth at the Clare Invitational. Peter Moore has been a major key runner and long jumper for the team this season. Coach Schiman said that he worked incredibly hard the last two seasons to overcome a knee injury, and he continues to work hard in his senior season at reaching new PRs.

"Peter is a great athlete and an even better person," said Schiman. "He's worked hard to overcome a past knee injury and has had an outstanding senior season, winning the long jump in multiple meets and regularly jumping over 20'. I'm really excited for the opportunity he has at Olivet College."

That work has paid off this season for the senior on an individual level. He has finished in the top three final results in long jump at each meet this season. He set a new PR of 20' 11 at the Gull Lake Invitational to take first place. He also took first place at the Whitmore Lake Invitational and the LCAA dual meet at Hudson. He has three second place finishes and two third place finishes. Moore has also been an important member of the boys relay teams, helping the 4x100 team take first at the Clare High School Invitational. He was also a 2022-23 spring sports athlete of the week winner.

He currently ranks second in the Hillsdale Area Best Rankings. He took third place in last year's County Area Best Meet and will look to compete for first place this season. The event takes place on May 31. Moore still wants this year's team to get back to state and win regionals. Those events will be coming up in the near future. Schedules for the Hillsdale track team can be found at athletic.net.

The Olivet Comets are a private Christian college in Olivet, Michigan. The Comets are a part of the NCAA Division III level of collegiate athletics and are one of the founding members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the oldest collegiate conference.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale senior Peter Moore ready to take long jump talents to Olivet