43
Sutton leads Tigers; Fitch’s Jenkins back
Photo
Howland runner Nate Sutton led the Tigers to an All-American Conference title with his 17:05 winning time at the Canfield Fairgrounds.
Sutton leads Tigers; Fitch’s Jenkins back
By Matthew Peaslee
Canfield
Nathan Sutton has always been a betting man.
He first would bet that he could outrun his older brother, Aaron, now a cross country standout at Westminster College. And, he’d barter with his coaches that he could attain better times each meet. But no wager was more crucial than the one he made with himself. When the Howland senior began running cross country four years ago, he weighed over 225 pounds and it took him nearly 30 minutes to complete each meet.
Now, he’s more than 60 pounds lighter and the All-American Conference champion.
“I’m on top of the world,” Sutton said after his winning time of 17 minutes, 5 seconds. “The past four years of cross country have just been a complete physical transformation.”
The Tigers won the boys AAC title with 33 points. Girard girls took the top spot earning 22.
“Nate’s just a great story in himself,” Howland coach Dan Libert said. “Every year he’s gotten a little more hungry and he’s really caught on. The winters, the off-seasons, he never stopped working hard. He’s controlled his weight, dieted, and goes way beyond what I ask him to do.”
The rest of his team has, too.
“Last year wasn’t very impressive and we knew we wanted to build from that,” sophomore Ryan Sullivan, who finished third in the meet, said. “We really picked up our training and worked together to change up our speed work. It’s paid off because we’re getting better and faster as a team.”
That’s the most gratifying part for Sutton.
“And the great thing is, it’s not just an individual thing, it’s a team effort,” he said. “I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for my teammates. It’s all of our collective success and today got us all where we want to be.”
It took him a while to get to this point, though.
After he broke his arm in the middle of his sophomore year, it was a setback. It also helped him realize that he wanted to change, physically. The summer before his junior year, he dropped 20 pounds. This summer, he lost another 30. The commitment began to pay off as he became slimmer and faster.
“My whole body, especially my leg muscles, were used to carrying that extra weight,” he said. [Losing the weight] made everything so much faster; like I was just weightless.”
The winner of the girls race, Carissa Jenkins, also had obstacles to overcome.
The Fitch sophomore ran a 19:59, while suffering through a serious of injuries this year. After multiple trips to the chiropractor and a specialized workout facility, she was right where she wanted to be.
“This is a lot better than sitting at home and not running,” Jenkins said. “It was tough to get going, at first, but then after a few days everything was back to normal.”
Jenkins was caught in a pack with Emma Lunne of Canfield and Poland’s McKinsie Klim for most of the race. She broke free with less than a mile to go and won by a 21-second margin.
Poland girls placed second in the meet, but won the AAC American Division with 27 points. Jefferson had 36 points for third overall. Lakeview boys had 36 points to win the AAC National Division. Fitch was second in the American Division with 39.