Distance Runner Extraordinaire: Conor Somers of Fremont

Conor Somers (in green uniform) runs with the lead pack at NXR Regional Championship

Photo taken from Somers's Instagram account

Distance Runner Extraordinaire: Conor Somers of Fremont
Article by Alexis Mercer
Photos provided by Cliff Somers
 
West Michigan is a distance running mecca. Not just for the state of Michigan, but at a national level. For those who don’t follow the sports of cross country and track, this fact might not be that well-known. But a high percentage of collegiate and professional runners come from this mighty area!
 
Take for example Nathan Walker, a Fremont graduate who won an individual state title and represented Michigan at the National Championship in California his senior year (2020 cross season), who currently runs for Purdue University. 
 
Or Megan O’Neil, who ran at Chippewa Hills High School, continued her career at Central Michigan University, and is now a professional runner on the Hansons-Brooks team in the Detroit area.
 
Abby Vanderkooi, a West Michigan Christian athlete, earned an impressive fourth individual state title and led her team to its first team title this past fall. She, too, represented Michigan the same year as Walker in the National Championship.
 
Among those whose names deserve recognition for their standout performances at the high school level is Fremont High School senior Conor Somers. 
 
Part of Fremont’s State Championship Teams during both the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Conor was primed and ready to lead his team his senior year. His results on athletic.net display his dominance, taking 1st in 8 of the 13 races he competed in.

Warming up at NXR (l to r): Hunter Jones (Benzie Central), Conor Somers (Fremont), Nick Cockerel (Otsego)

His personal record came at Michigan International Speedway on November 6 as he took 2nd place in the Divison 2 State Finals, running a 15:28. 
 
Somers then went on to earn a spot in the NXR Midwest Regional Championships on November 14, running an impressive 9th place.
 
In an interview with Somers right after his experience at NXR, he answered some questions for N3 readers about his experience with cross country and distance running. Since this conversation, Somers announced his signing with Grand Valley State University to further his running career.
 
How long have you been running cross country?
I have been running cross country since I was in sixth grade.
 
What was your favorite HS cross meet?
My favorite  cross country meet is the state meet.  I enjoy the state meet as it brings all of the best competition to one area and will truly test my abilities.
 
Why did you choose NXR over the Midwest Meet of Champions (a separate championship meet just for Michigan athletes)?
I went to NXR hoping to see how I stacked up against athletes from other states.  I enjoyed the race and the competition there was fantastic.
 
What part were you most looking forward to?
I was mostly looking forward to racing other high-quality athletes from other states in the Midwest.
 
Can you describe the race atmosphere? You're now at a meet with runners from other states in the midwest. Was it completely different than, for example, the state meet?
The atmosphere was awesome there was a lot of hype around the race but it really wasn’t any different than our state meet other than the fact that you didn’t know many of the guys that were in your race.
 
What do you plan to do after this (other unattached cross...winter track...etc)
I plan to participate in the footlocker midwest regional and then afterwards take a break and continue with indoor track.
 
Do you have one accomplishment looking back on your years of cross country which you're most proud of? If so, can you tell us what it was?
I think the greatest accomplishment looking back on my years of cross country is the back to back state championship teams of 2019 and 2020.
 
Somers will compete in indoor meets over the winter and then run track to finish up his high school career this spring. Don’t miss the opportunity to watch one of the area’s greatest athletes compete in his craft while on the track before he heads off to GVSU to represent Fremont and West Michigan with pride and class.

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