<strong>S</strong>occer competition is now a part of Reed Sauter’s athletic past, but the Franklin College sophomore said that sport still benefits him as a runner.
Sauter enters the spring expected to be one of the premier middle-distance runners in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Last season, he finished second in the 800-meter run at the HCAC men’s track and field meet.
“I don’t have a particularly long stride, but I have really fast cadence. I think I got that from having a soccer background,” said Sauter, a Center Grove graduate who played on the Trojans’ 2015 Class 2A state championship squad as a senior midfielder.
“This season was the first time since I was 6 or 7 that I didn’t play soccer. It was extremely hard, because I had played it my entire life and was definitely one of my favorite sports. But I just kept getting injured and had to call it quits.”
Sauter earned three varsity letters at Center Grove in both soccer and track. As a senior, he advanced to the state meet as a member of the Trojans’ 4×800 relay.
His first athletic experience at Franklin College was playing for the men’s soccer program. Unfortunately, groin injuries forced him to miss much of his freshman season, though he did get to play in six matches late.
Still nursing some of the injuries that plagued him in soccer, Sauter started his first season of college track primarily running the 400 with even some 200-yard dashes thrown in. Eventually, he became a regular in the 400 and the 800.
This spring, the sophomore, a middle-distance specialist at heart, believes he can better help the Grizzlies taking part in the 800 and 1,600.
During races, Sauter said he thinks about what his closing speed will be and whether he is in a position to win.
With soccer no longer in the picture, Sauter competed in cross country this fall in an effort to maintain his conditioning for track. In September, he placed 27th at the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships and 28th at the Grizzlies’ own Sodexo Invitational.
“There was something still missing,” said Sauter of not playing soccer. “Not to say that I didn’t enjoy (cross country). It was just a lot different. With soccer, there is a lot of body-to-body contact, and I guess I was missing that.”
Franklin College is three meets into its indoor season and opens the outdoor portion of its season Feb. 17 at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird meet.
In addition to his contributions to the Grizzlies as an individual, Sauter will be the team’s anchor runner in the 1,600 relay.
“Most sophomores know the kind of work they have to put in. I think with Reed’s work ethic and abilities he’ll be one of the top athletes in our conference,” Franklin College coach Demetrius Bailey said. “Reed just has that competitive edge.
“He’ll go out and try catching as many athletes as he can. When he’s in the lead, he has the mentality that ‘no one is going to catch me.’”
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Reed Sauter
Age: 20
Born: St. Louis
Family: Parents Rick Sauter and Janet Papproth; brother Drew, 17
High school: Center Grove (2016)
Major: International business
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