Luke Suliman doesn’t follow in footsteps – he creates his own.
The Skyline senior crossed the finish line on an impressive cross country career in November when he finished in the top 30 at the Division 1 MHSAA State Finals despite running with some recent health issues. Adversity out of his control may have slowed him down a bit but it didn’t prevent him from accomplishing his goals, both this past season and during his career, especially when looking at the whole course and not just one or two races.
“My career at Skyline has been a very influential period of my life, teaching me an array of lessons and giving me many friendships,” Suliman said looking back at his four years on the Skyline cross country team. “I still look forward to accomplishing many things this spring and creating many more memories.
“Overall, my time at Skyline has left me with much gratitude for the sport, resources, teammates and coaches. Something quite unique to Skyline is that we are coached by Ron Warhurst and Mike Kessler. Ron has coached over 10 Olympians and Mike is well on his way to many great successes in the coaching world.”
Suliman also is well on his way to many great successes. The son of Adam and Christina Suliman, Luke will compete next year against the elite in Division 1. “I plan to run track and cross country at the University of Miami in Florida,” he says. “The coaching and resources there are truly unlike anywhere else, causing me to feel like it is the best place possible to maximize what I get out of myself. I plan to study Real Estate and Finance as a dual major.”
He covered a lot of real estate during his running career at Skyline. He finished 36th at the Regionals as a freshman with a time of 17:21.4. The following year, he moved up to 18th overall in 16:58.6. Suliman took it to another level as a junior, where he placed sixth at Regionals and qualified for his first State Finals where he placed 53rd in 16:28.3. His PR time as a junior was 15:51.9 at the Gabriel Richard Invitational.
This past season, Suliman and the Eagles landed in the State Finals after taking third at the Holly Regionals with 103 points. Suliman finished third with a time of 15:51.82. Skyline finished with 541 points and crossed in 26th place at MIS. Suliman finished in the top 10 in every race he competed in as a senior except for the State Finals. He was seventh at the SEC Championships on Oct. 19 and 10th with a PR time of 15:34.2 at the Portage XC Invitational.
“This year we were in a ‘rebuilding year’ as we had just lost five of our top seven, one being a four time all state runner and the other being an eight time all state athlete,” Suliman said. “Those two athletes made significant impacts on the team results as well as the daily culture and intensity surrounding the entire team. This year we still managed to make the state championship, having three freshmen in our top seven, being the only team to run three. Overall, this year as a group we drastically exceeded outsider’s expectations, which is always a great thing to do.”
Suliman said he first became seriously interested in running during COVID, which led him to really enjoy running. “I really appreciate running as it is super competitive, it is you versus everyone and you get to see who wants it more,” he says.
Suliman really wanted it more for his senior year and went to great heights to accomplish his goals. “This off-season I went to Flagstaff, Arizona for 15 days with a teammate to train at elevation,” he said. “That experience really set my season up for success, as living with professional athletes gave me many insights and ideas on minor changes I could make for major results. I mainly stay motivated to run by just wanting to reach my full potential as well as enjoying the process.”
His senior year started off strong, but a pretty severe illness the final five weeks of the season slowed him down and altered his results.
When he’s running on the course, Suliman says he focuses on his surroundings, not his watch. “The main things that I focus on is racing for placement rather than times, as I would much rather beat people than simply just run a fast mark,” he said. “Mentally I just believe in the work that I have put in and that I work harder than anyone else, and being confident in that belief.”
Any advice for young runners?
“The biggest piece of advice I will give someone just beginning is to stay consistent, no matter what,” he says. “I am not the most naturally gifted, even on my own team, but I can guarantee during my time at Skyline I have had the most consistency and hard work put forth.”
And his coach would agree.
“Luke is one of the most committed and hard-working athletes I’ve coached,” said Coach Kessler. “His consistency has paid off as he has steadily improved each year. In his third trip to the state meet, he had his highest finish yet (29th for All-State).”
