Abner Moseti, Edina High School Class of 2018
Personal Records:
60 indoors: 7.34
100 meters: 11.28
200 indoors: 23.68
400 meters: 49.19
800 meters: 2:06
5K cross country: 17:52.40
Long Jump: 18' 6 ¼"
MSHSL state meet record:
2017: 6th place 400 meter dash; 3rd place 4x400; 12th place 4x200
2016: 14th place 400 meter dash; 5th place 4x400
Where were you born and what sports did you play growing up?
I was born in Nairobi, Kenya. When I was five years old we moved to America so I do not remember living in that country. When I was young I played lots of games in the neighborhood and at the YMCA. These games included tag, kickball, and pickup games in other sports too. I also played basketball from grades 7-10 and soccer in 9th grade. I tried cross country for a year at Edina High School and finished second in the Victoria Lions Invitational early in the season my junior year but found this sport was not for me. I have been in track & field from 7-12.
What sports do you play now?
Mostly track although this is very involved for me and I also weight train at Twin Cities Orthopedics which is where our trainers teach us sports performance. I belong to the St. Louis Park Flyers Track Club. I also have run in the USATF Nationals Track & Field Meet. Most recently on February 11th I ran a 51.94 400 meter dash indoors at the Spire Scholastic Showcase in Geneva, Ohio.
Who has coached you?
My current coaches are head coach David Boone, who coaches me in the sprint events, and Nate Bahr the jumps coach at my high school. My main past coaches were my big brothers: Samuel Moseti was a 2016 Edina graduate who now runs for Northern State University, and Nathan Moseti graduated in 2013. My older brothers showed faith in me and also inspired me to run the 400 meter dash. When I was younger I only wanted to run the 100 and 200, but they convinced me that I had the endurance, and all I had to do was learn race strategy to perform well in the 400!
Coach Boone gave me this advice: "To get faster in the 100 you need to work on starts, to improve your 200, you need to work on the 400."
What adversities have you had in sports and what were your solutions?
The main thing I learned is that you have to keep your head up after an injury.
As a sophomore playing for the school basketball team I broke my ankle. I was out for two months because of this injury. The doctor diagnosed it as a hairline fracture and put me in a boot for 1 ½ months. I did take off the boot for exercises with a trainer, but had to wear it the rest of the time. We did a lot of work with rubber bands.
I also spent this time icing the injury a lot! After that period of time I went to see the doctor again and he determined I could take the boot off. He still said I had to be very careful but that I could go without the boot.
In April I was able to begin running. Even though I had to take all this time off, I was able to improve my freshman 400 meter dash from 53.41 to 49.98!
Who are some former teammates who helped you as an athlete?
Grant Fuller was a sprinter-hurdler who was able to pace me in the 400 meter workouts that we did. He pushed me. Grant will be running for the University of Minnesota this year.
Zach Nelson, a lifetime soccer player, came out for track for the first time as a senior. His time in the 100 meter dash in the first meet was 11.9. By the end of the season he got it down to 10.7 at the state meet. Then at the USATF Junior Olympics he ran 10.59! Zach was always happy at practice and this inspired me to enjoy our sport more. Zach was originally targeted by a DII school, but after his JO performance the U of M recruited him.
Who else supports you?
Elkanah and Isabella Moseti, my parents have sacrificed a lot for me. My dad drives me to all the Junior Olympics meets. The national meet was in Lawrence, Kansas this year.
How do you set goals?
My coaches watch me and help me decide on what my goals should be for a particular meet. I also watch my races on YouTube and MileSplit MN to check my form and make adjustments. One of my goals is to beat my brother Samuel's best high school 100 meter dash time of 11.24.
What do you do for the mental training?
Where the mental training starts in the 400 is at about 290 or 300 meters. At that point your muscles start to tighten up, but you must concentrate on staying relaxed, and remind yourself of form cues like keeping your knees up.
Why do you run with your fingers straight rather than curled like many runners?
I do it this way because it's a more relaxing way to run the sprinting events. It took me several years to learn how to run this way. I do not recommend it for distance running; in fact when I run longer distances I curl my fingers.
How will the Hornets do this year?
We finished second in the State True Team meet last year and were second at the MSHSL State Meet. We will lose lots of seniors off that team, however so will many of our common opponents. We expect to compete for a State title again.
What do you do besides sports?
I have a 3.57 GPA and I have worked as a cook for Chipotle's Restaurant for the last 2 years. My extensive sports participation in track & field and weight training does not allow for much else.
What does your team do to develop team spirit?
We have Groutfit Monday all season. On those days we wear all grey workout gear. This is not too demanding since most of our apparel is grey anyway.
What shoes do you wear?
My trainer is the New Balance Zante, and my spikes are the Nike Zoom Rival because I do both running and field events.
What are your plans for after high school?
I have been contacted by a number of DII schools but I want to run DI for college in the Midwest. My majors will be Accounting and Business.