Sommer has successful run during cross-country career

Nevada Daily Mail

Nevada High School senior Ben Sommer recently achieved a life-long goal of qualifying for the state cross-country tournament.

"It was a great way to finish my senior year," Sommer said. "I was really excited to go. It was the best moment of my cross-country career."

Sommer, who was having an average season, came through with the best performance of his career earlier this month at the district meet at Grain Valley High School, running a time of 17:55 in the 5K (3.1 miles).

Sommer needed to place in the top 15 in order to qualify for state, and he did just that, placing 15th at the district meet.

"That was the best time I've ever run," Sommer said. "I knew it was going to be my last race if I didn't make it, and the training I was on had me peaking at that meet."

At the state meet, which took place in Jefferson City at Twin Oaks Golf Course, Sommer was unable to stay under 18 minutes, placing 133rd.

Although it wasn't an ideal way for Sommer to conclude his cross-country career, he was happy to have had the opportunity to run at state. Sommer said he soaked up the experience.

"The course was unlike anything I've ever seen before," he said. "It's the toughest I've ever seen."

Sommer began his cross country-career in seventh-grade. Over the past six years, Sommer has developed under the tutelage of Nevada coach Robert Watts.

"You have kids that start when they're in seventh-grade, they're a lot of fun to be with and they listen well," Watts said. "And he's one of those kids."

Watts said Sommer has shown good leadership characteristics.

"The younger kids all look up to him," he said. "They've kind of adopted his work ethic. And he's somebody who has got where he is because of his work ethic. He works really hard."

Sommer said he is quite fond of Watts.

"I like Coach Watts, we've been through quite a few seasons together," he said. " We worked on form quite a bit every day before practice. He's always telling me what to change up, on running."

Among the underclassmen runners, Sommer said he has been impressed with talented Nevada Middle School seventh-grader, Calli Beshore.

"She's looked really fast," he said.

If Sommer has one regret, it's not going into full training mode over the summer.

"I probably didn't run enough this summer, so I had a little bit of making up to do during the season," he said. "Trying to get quite a few miles in"

Sommer also participates in basketball in the winter, and track in the spring. However, he said running is where his heart lies.

"Cross-country and track are probably my favorites," he said.

Sommer said his favorite athletes are, former international track star Steve Prefontaine, and NBA superstar Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

St. Louis native

Sommer, who spent his early years in St. Louis, made the move to Nevada with his mother Jeanie Ireland and younger brother Matthew, at the age of 8. He said upon arriving in Nevada, it was tough adjusting from the big city environment to a small town.

"Anything you really needed was around you," Sommer said of St. Louis. "So moving here was quite a bit different for a while. This is much more of an agriculture-based community, and that's not what it was like in St. Louis."

Outside of track, Sommer considers himself just a normal kid.

"I like to play video games with my brother, and shoot (basketball) at the community center with my friends," he said.

Sommer said his favorite subject is social studies, and that he would like to attend the University of Oklahoma and possibly major in accounting.

"After school, I probably see myself living in a bigger city," he said.

Sommer's favorite teams are the St. Louis Cardinals and Oklahoma City Thunder.