ABOVE: Andrew Moeller talks with former Fairmont High School cross-country coach Bob Bonk following a high school competition in 2018. Submitted photo.

FAIRMONT – People come back to their hometowns for a multitude of reasons. Whether it’s work, family or revisiting the place that shaped the person you grew up to be, the action of returning home isn’t uncommon for many.

For Fairmont High School alum Andrew Moeller, it was his love for the school’s running programs that brought him back, becoming the new head coach for cross-country this season after participating in the sport since his sixth-grade year.

Running has always been in Moeller’s bones since he was young, with his father, Chad, competing for the Cardinals back in the day.

However, it was his experience with the Fairmont running program that sparked Moeller’s passion for the sport of distance running.

“I kind of took it as seriously as any high-schooler does,” Moeller said. “I put in a lot of work with it and used it as a really good building opportunity for me to see what I was capable of. Really, just my time with Fairmont cross country made me fall in love with the sport.”

One of the biggest influences in the program was the time he spent with long-tenured Cardinal coach Bob Bonk.

Bonk, a member of the Fairmont Athletic Hall of Fame, was the veteran coach of the program for 51 years, spanning from 1971 to 2022, and impacting many generations of running athletes who came through the high school.

“I’d say legendary would be an understatement in terms of what he did for Fairmont with the cross-country and track programs,” Moeller said. “He was my dad’s high school coach as well, so he was there for quite a long time. The influence that he had, not just for me but for the program, set all of us up for success beyond what we did with running.”

After finishing his senior season in 2019 with All-Big South Conference Honorable Mentions and multiple state track meet medals, Moeller continued his running career at South Dakota State University.

Moeller spent five years with the Jackrabbits track and field program due to the COVID cancellation season in 2019-2020, giving the runner another year of eligibility.

He finished his running career on a high note during his senior 2023-2024 campaign, making an appearance on the Summit League Track and Field All League Team for his participation on a distance medley relay team.

With the additional year in college, Moeller earned his educational degree from SDSU. While coming back to Fairmont following college was in his cards sometime during his life, Moeller hopped on an opportunity to teach at the high school. He began in 2024 as the new agriculture professor for Jr. and Sr. high.

“I live on my family’s farm here in Fairmont, so coming home after college was something in the cards for me long term,” Moeller said. “I stretched out my education there [South Dakota State] by adding on the education degree, that’s kind of what led me to the teaching position.”

In that same first season teaching for Fairmont, Moeller took his first stab at the coaching side of the sport, becoming a volunteer assistant coach for the Cardinal cross country team.

While coaching for the same team that brought him so much joy was never in the plan, it was his love for the program and the sport that ultimately brought him back.

“My love for the sport and my love for the Fairmont program is what made me decide to be a part of it,” Moeller said. “I am still very much a student of the game when it comes to distance running. I really enjoy it. I like being able to see athletes develop and be involved with the training.

“Distance running, as much as it takes just grit and hard work, there is also a science to it. When you can put all of those things together, it’s just really cool to see things come together. And I realized that pretty quickly after I started coaching with the team and being involved.”

Moeller took the reins in 2025 after a year of helping the kids in a volunteer position, officially becoming the next ring leader of the Fairmont running program.

The coaching aspect has been an adjustment for Moeller. With a background capable enough to build training regimens for all athletes interested in participating for the Cardinals, Moeller realized it takes even more knowledge to coach.

As the months go on and he learns more from his assistant coaches, Jen Kahler and Holly Neusch, Moeller is eager to continue to help with the program that shaped him.

“My background and the studies that I’ve done have prepared me for the coaching side in terms of what we do for training,” Moeller said. “But it takes a lot more to step into the facilitation side of it and kind of know all the ins and outs.”

Moeller aims to elevate this program in many ways. Not only does he want to see the same success Fairmont saw during the days of Bunk, but a steady growth of players and athletes at all grade levels.

“For many years, Fairmont was a distance-running dynasty,” Moeller said. “Fairmont is a name that has been associated with distance running for a long time, and I’d like to bring that back. I’d like to have it where year after year we have a very reputable program, instead of just every once in a while you have the right kids at the right time.”