For Coldwater's Forrister, Suffolk University Track and Field feels like home

Coldwater’s Sarah Forrister made the most out of her senior season on the track, posting personal bests across the board as she quickly became one of the best athletes on the team and in the Interstate 8 conference, excelling in both field events and on the track. After years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice Forrister has parlayed her tremendous amount of success on the track into a chance to compete at the collegiate level as Forrister recently signed her letter of intent to run track at Suffolk University in Boston, MA.

“My mom is from New York so going out east is not a foreign concept for me and I have really enjoyed it out there every time I’ve been there,” said Forrister. “When I got the offer I was so excited so we went out and visited and I absolutely loved it. I was really torn between Suffolk and Detroit Mercy and although I had a better scholarship offer and Detroit Mercy is in a bigger conference, at the end of the day I chose Suffolk because it just felt like home. My goal was always to go away to college, just to experience it all. In the end I didn’t apply anywhere within an hour of home and ultimately that and the ability to run track was the deciding factor on where I went.”

Forrister will now look forward to her time as a Suffolk Ram. The Suffolk University Rams compete in the Commonwealth Coastal Conference (CCC) where they finished in third place during the 2022 CCC Championship. Suffolk will return a load of talent in 2023, including the 2022 Field Athlete/Rookie of the Year in thrower Caitlyn Filloramo in addition to the conference 100 meter and 200 meter champion in Amanda Walden. Forrister will look to step right in to the already deep roster as she intends to make her mark in a host of different events.

“We started off just talking about me doing pole vault and then long jump came in to the picture,” said Forrister. “After that we started to really discuss a few sprints and even a little long distance and cross country. For me really, my freshman year is going to be a year of discovery when it comes to college athletics.”

No matter where Forrister ends up for Suffolk the Rams are getting a very talented athlete who has shown the ability to compete in nearly every discipline. Forrister competed in a host of events for Coldwater this season and throughout her career, including the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the 400 meters, the 400 meter relay, the 800 meter relay, the 1600 meter relay, the long jump and the pole vault.

Forrister excelled in all of those disciplines while making her largest mark in the field events, especially during her senior year where she focused on the pole vault, the long jump and the 100 meter dash.

In the pole vault Forrister finished in second place in the Interstate 8 conference behind teammate Avery Boyce with a jump of 9 feet, 0 inches. In all Forrister brought home seven runner-up finishes in the pole vault, one third place finish and a fourth place finish. In the long jump Forrister secured runner-up honors in the Interstate 8 with a jump of 15 feet, 10.75 inches, adding the All Conference honor to four long jump wins, four runner-up finishes, two third place finishes and one fourth place finish, never finishing below sixth throughout the season. Forrister also earned a few more medals at the I-8 conference meet, taking sixth place in the 100 meter dash in a new personal best time of 13.83 seconds and third place as part of the 400 meter relay team. As for her personal best efforts, Forrister’s pole vault record came in the I-8 championship with a vault of 9 feet, 0 inches while her personal best in the long jump came at the 2022 D1 Regional tournament  where she placed sixth with a jump of 16 feet, 4 inches.

Forrister also earned herself three varsity letters in cross country and took a huge step forward in her senior season, serving as one of the top runners of the young Cardinal club. Forrister clocked her career best time in the Interstate 8 Conference Championship back on Oct. 23, running the 3.1 mile course in 22 minutes, 37.3 seconds in her thirty-second place finish.

Needless to say, wherever Forrister finds herself competing for the Rams of Suffolk University, the ability, drive and desire to succeed is there. One thing Forrister has going for her is that she recognizes her strengths and her weaknesses as she enters her collegiate career with a clear plan to succeed.

“I need to get my time management under control a little bit,” said Forrister. “When you have so much going on and you have to juggle so many things it may be difficult. I think I did a good job of that in high school but college is a whole different level, college will definitely be more demanding. I just need to stay on top of things and not procrastinate in order to get things done and succeed as a student and athlete.”

As Forrister took a moment to sit back and think about her four years at Coldwater High School, she pointed to a moment during her cross country season as her best memory. “For me, finishing one of my last races of my cross country career, crossing the line at Turkeyville for the I-8 championship. I crossed the line and Carolyn Potter and I just met at the line and cried because we both knew how well we had did and that we finished it. It was the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever had.”

More memories are in store for Forrister who will now take her talents over 13 hours east to Suffolk University. If high school is any indication, it won’t be long before Forrister makes her mark, whether it be in the pole vault, long jump, sprints or cross country. You can’t teach dedication, drive and determination and for Forrister, that isn’t a problem.

Congratulations to Coldwater’s Sarah Forrister on her decision to further her academic and athletic career at Suffolk University.

Get to Know Your Recruit

Name: Sarah Forrister

School: Coldwater High School

College: Suffolk University

Major: Biology with a Health Science concentration with the intent on eventually becoming a Neonatal Surgeon

Favorite Food: Mac and Cheese and Chicken Wings

Favorite Dessert: Cheesecake

Favorite Movie: Big Hero 6 from Disney

Favorite Book: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, I read that three times my freshman year

Hobbies: I have a job so I work a lot and I really enjoy that. I like to run and I like to go out on the boat and jet ski. I also like to take naps, doing all this stuff is exhausting sometimes

This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Coldwater's Forrister signs with Suffolk University Track and Field