FAIRMONT — A parent is a child’s first role model. As a result, children will often pattern their behavior after their parents.

For Andrew Moeller, this meant running.

“My dad was always a runner. He ran in high school, so I always loved it,” Andrew Moeller said about his dad, Chad Moeller. “I’d look at his medals and the stuff that he got and knew that’s what I wanted to do when I got to that age.”

Chad Moeller was a standout cross country and track runner at Fairmont High School.

He qualified for the state track & field meet in the 1,600-meter run, placed 10th at the Section Cross Country Meet and was named all-conference in cross country during his senior year in 1989. Chad also holds the 25th-best 5K time for Fairmont boys with a 16:39.

Andrew Moeller, however, has had his own success at Fairmont. The junior was part of the winning 4×800 team at the Class A state track & field meet, and helped this year’s 4×800 team to a second-place finish at state.

Andrew was also named All-Big South Conference honorable mention during the 2016 cross country season and finished 32nd at the Section 2A Meet with a time of 17:54.

“I’m really looking forward to these next couple of years, not just being pretty good for my age but being able to place really well in all the races from now on,” Andrew Moeller said.

Having a father who is a lifelong runner has been an advantage for Andrew. Sometimes, they even compete in races together.

“It’s been really nice having him come to the meets and helping out and everything, having someone who is there. He cheers me on all the time and is always encouraging,” Andrew Moeller said. “He’s also an accountability.”

With four cross country seasons under his belt, Andrew has already started preparing for the upcoming season.

He, along with other Cardinals teammates, set a goal to run 425 miles each before the season starts. Since June 1, Moeller has run nearly 200 miles.

“I’ll usually go out and do runs in the evening when it’s cooler instead of in the middle of the day. Just running five or six miles only takes 45 minutes at the longest, depending on how far I’m going, too,” he said. “We’ll do practices either at 8 in the morning or 7 in the evening, so we try to avoid the heat. Sometimes, it doesn’t work too well. But, we do what we can.”

As a sophomore, Moeller was named a captain of the Cardinals boys cross country team and hold the position again for a second year.

Accountability is one of the main things on which Moeller focuses as the Cardinals attempt to get as many people to attend practices as possible.

“We have three practices a week right now. The more younger guys we can get out and have them talk to their friends and get them to come (the better),” Moeller said. “It helps so much to run in the summer rather than just starting when the fall comes.”

Moeller hopes that the team can get to state this year.

“We all really want it, and everyone’s looking like they’re working hard for it,” he said.

Andrew Moeller can add his medals to the Moeller collection and has two more years to get more. He may have been inspired by his father to become a runner, but is certainly making his own path with a chance to even pass the elder Moeller.

“In cross country, he’s still got me by a ways in time. But, in track, I have his 400 and 800 time beat, but not his mile,” Andrew Moeller said. “Still trying to get those.”