Evelyn Bahm | The Chronicle
As the 2026 cross country season gears up, one name carries three stories. Each of the Moran siblings have been able to define themselves within the Mason High School (MHS) cross country community.
Emily Moran, Tommy Moran and Ally Moran are siblings and students who are all a part of the MHS cross country program. What started as a way to spend time with friends led senior Emily to join cross country in seventh grade. This sparked a domino effect, inspiring her younger siblings, sophomore Tommy and freshman Ally to join cross country as well. The 2026 season will mark the end of a cross country career for Emily, Tommy’s second year with the high school team and a new beginning for Ally.
Heading into the beginning of the fall season, Emily is the 10th-ranked senior female cross country runner in the state of Ohio for the 2026 season according to Podium Watch. She said she is excited to contribute to the program again this year and redefine success for her teammates.
Emily Moran competes for the Mason Comets during Centerville High School’s Saturday
Night Lights finishing with a time of 12:41.7 in the 2 mile race.
“Success [as a runner] is creating a better team experience,” Emily said. “We’ve had points where maybe we didn’t have the best culture on the team, and I feel like this year we have a great culture and so much good leadership.”
It has been a long journey for Emily, who said she’s improved throughout her high school career. Having no sport to participate in when heading into middle school, she said she was motivated by her friends joining the Mason Middle School (MMS) Cross Country team. Although she was encouraged by the community within the sport, she said that running long distances was a challenge in her early experiences.
“[Running] was so hard at first,” Emily said. “I would have to walk after [running only] a quarter mile in seventh grade. To get to this point now, it just feels like an even bigger accomplishment.”
As Emily’s younger brother, Tommy said that running came easily to him when he joined the cross country team. Tommy said he has managed to remain consistent in his success with running throughout his career. Though he owes much of his success to hard work, he said his journey would not have begun without the inspiration of his older sister.
“I probably wouldn’t even know what [cross country] was if it wasn’t for my sister doing it,” Tommy said. “I joined and I just wanted to beat my sister’s times really bad. I wanted to have that success and accolades [my sister] got in middle school, so it just motivated me to work.”
Tommy said that cross country is known for its required mental toughness. While Tommy said that he had an easy physical transition into the sport — being a top performing seventh grader on the (MMS) Cross Country team — he said it did not stop him from falling into the hole of comparison that many runners face.
Tommy Moran running for the Mason Comets during the Mason Invite.
“In the beginning I got kind of jealous because my older sister was doing pretty good and I just wanted to do pretty good,” Tommy said. “It also motivated me, and caused some stress.”
Tommy was able to grow beyond stress to improve, and during the 2025 season Tommy was the top ranked freshman cross country runner in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC). In addition, he was nominated for an MHS Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly award (ESPY) later in the spring for his performance.
Beyond the boys cross country team, the girls team is aiming high this year, feeling optimistic for an effective season. Girls Cross Country Coach Chip Dobson, said he believes that there are multiple upcoming freshmen that will be large contributors to the success of the girls cross country team this season, one of whom is Ally Moran.
“I am hopeful we are top five at state, and much better than last year,” Dobson said. “[Emily and Ally] are key to our success. They embody the tough working attitude I am looking for in an athlete.”
For Ally, she said that she originally joined cross country in seventh grade as a way to bond with classmates. Ally followed her friends, and she decided to join cross country to spend time with those she knew, and also to make new connections.
“I really enjoyed [cross country] from the beginning, ” Ally said. “Being around everybody was really fun and a great way to make friends. It is just great because everyone is encouraging each other and working together. It is a personal sport, but it is also a team sport because you need all the scores [to succeed].”
Ally said she seems to find the balance between socializing and hard work easy. Beyond the friends Ally has made through cross country, Dobson said that Ally, like Emily, means business about running.
Ally Moran (right) competes, running for the Mason Comets during Centerville High School’s Saturday Night Lights finishing with a time of 13:04.2 in the 2 mile.
“[Emily and Ally] are both great, hard working, no nonsense, tough and committed to [cross country],” Dobson said. “Emily scores in nearly every meet and I expect Ally will as well.”
Emily has run with Mason all four years of high school, this year being the only one in which she is joined by both Tommy and Ally. The 2026 season will mark the end of her high school career. Emily finds it bittersweet, and she said she hopes to end the year on a successful note by being able to share it with those who matter most. Emily said sharing her final season with her siblings has made the journey more rewarding, especially as she watches their growth in the sport.
“I am just super proud that [Tommy and Ally] have that hard work and dedication towards the sport,” Emily said. ”That they found something that they love, and can put their heart into.”
