Versatility in track is ticket for Somers' Suter
May 16—SOMERS — Soccer was Doug Suter's first love and the sport the Somers High senior thought would be his ticket to a career at the Division I college level.
But his perspective changed his sophomore year, when he qualified for the Class S indoor track and field state championships in multiple events. It was then that he realized his athletic future was on the track, not the soccer field.
Suter blossomed into one of the most versatile competitors in the state as a junior and senior, parlaying that talent into a spot on the Sacred Heart University track and field team beginning in the fall.
He signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Pioneers' indoor and outdoor track teams Tuesday. At Sacred Heart, he will compete alongside his older sister Olivia, a 2021 graduate of Somers who is a first-year hurdler and sprinter for the Pioneers.
"I'm super excited to get there and perform and see my growth in all the events," Suter said. "The coaches are great. They're really going to help me become better. I can't wait to learn from them. I'm super excited to get there and get started."
Suter ran with Olivia and their father Rich daily and occasionally competed in 5Ks and road races as a kid, but his primary focus was on soccer. He joined Connecticut Football Club, one of the top club soccer programs in the state, in fifth grade and played with the program in the fall, spring and summer each year up until his freshman year of high school.
After his freshman soccer season at Somers, Doug decided to join Olivia and a handful of other athletes from the school on Ellington's co-op indoor track team. It kept him in top physical condition for soccer, and he enjoyed the experience, so he signed up for Somers' outdoor team in the spring.
When Somers coach Michael Szafir asked Suter what events he wanted to compete in, the freshman listed the 400 and 600 meters, the 300 hurdles, the pole vault, and, unexpectedly, the decathlon.
"We didn't really have anyone else who was interested (in the decathlon), so we put him there," Szafir said. "Usually as a freshman, you don't really get the opportunity to do it, and there aren't a lot of freshmen who want to. He ended up finishing second to last, but he was willing to put himself out there and try it. Even from a young age."
The epiphany came during his sophomore indoor season in 2019-20, when he qualified to compete in three events — the 300 and 600 and the pole vault — at the Class S state championships. He notched two top-10 finishes, ninth in the 600 and 10th in the pole vault.
"Making states really sparked my interest because before then, I was only thinking about soccer," Suter said. "Soccer was my focus. But at that point, I realized that I really could run in college and I got serious about it. I became passionate about it."
Conference and state meets were canceled during his sophomore outdoor and junior indoor seasons due to the pandemicSuter returned to the track in the spring of 2021 and opened eyes with his performance at the Class S outdoor championships.
He placed sixth in the pole vault, ninth in the 400, fifth in the 4x400 relay, and 17th in the decathlon.
College coaches took notice. Suter received interest from Sacred Heart, Bryant, Bucknell, UMass, and Rhode Island, and took official visits to each school.
Suter toured Sacred Heart in October. He had been to the school with his parents many times before to visit Olivia and watch her meets, so he was familiar with the campus, and after meeting with the Pioneers' coaching staff and athletes, he was convinced that he had found his ideal landing spot.
"I'm thinking about double majoring in finance and management, and they have a great business school," Suter said. "The campus is beautiful and the coaches are great, but really impressed me was the team, my future teammates. They were really nice and made me feel welcome. They were really interested in me, asking me questions and showing me around campus. They were all great to me."
He placed fifth in the 600 and fourth in the pole vault at the Class S indoor championships on February 12. Seven days later he placed third in the pole vault at the State Open, clearing 12 feet, 6 inches.
Suter has led the Spartans outdoor team to wins in eight of their 11 dual meets this spring and has set school records in the 300 hurdles, 200 and 400 meters, pole vault, and the 4x800 and 4x400 relays.
He will compete in all of those events at the NCCC championships on May 24 at his home track and at the Class S state meet on May 31 at Willow Brook Park in New Britain. Suter will then compete in the decathlon on June 14 at the same venue.
"He's one of those kids that I can use as an example to others where hard work can really take you to the next level," Szafir said. "And it wasn't just working on the track. Through lifting, through training programs, he's put in the work to make himself better mentally and athletically. And it really shows in the way he's been able to perform so well in so many events. He's one of the top competitors in our conference and in the state."
Suter will begin an individual training program created by the Sacred Heart coaching staff in the summer and will report to campus in early August to participate in the team's offseason workouts.
He has discussed his event schedule with the Pioneers' coaches and is expecting to compete in the pole vault, 400 meters, pentathlon and decathlon as a freshman.
"The workout plan will include a lot of lifting and running," Suter said. "It's going to be a change from a high school regimen to a college regimen. It's going to be a lot more rigorous. But I'm looking forward to starting it. I'm super thankful to have the opportunity to compete in college."
For daily updates on high school sports in JI's coverage area, follow Kyle Maher on Twitter: @KyleBMaher, Facebook: Kyle Maher, and Instagram: @KyleBMaher.
