CARTERVILLE (WSIL) -- Former Carterville standout running back Preston Sumner graduated from Carterville High School and is taking his talents right down the road to SIU. Preston will join the Salukis track and field program.
Kendra Sheehan Goes Beyond the Highlights with Preston Sumner.
"When I hear the gun I just go," Sumner said. "I don't really hear anyone in the stands . I just look forward and then break the finish line."
Preston Sumner is fast. In the spring he made it all the way to the ISHA State Championships, but Sumner has been fast since he first stepped on the track.
"When I was in middle school when I was beating all the 8th graders when I was in 6/7th grade and I was kinda fast. My coaches would tell me I have talent. When I got in high school and I kept running and I started beating all the older kids so I just kept running."
Sumner will keep running at SIU, where he'll have a chance to compete at the division 1 level right down the road.
"It's fun to be able to be close to home so I can come back and support my friends in high school and they can come and support me at SIU."
Without a junior year of competition due to Covid-19, Sumner used the time off to train even harder.
"Me and my friends would come up here and run. We would run a bunch. We would do a bunch of sprints and 40s and Coach Towers would give me agility stuff to do and we would come up here and do our stuff and play music. It wasn't much training it was just fun and be out here with our friends."
Sumner is athletic and gave us quite a few highlights during football season. In the end Sumner's heart was on the track.
"I've played both all my life but track I have more fun. Just competing and I like the energy. Finishing at the finish line, being tired and having all your teammates there."
Sumner also plans to join the ROTC program at SIU and enlist in the Air Force post graduation.. Reporting in Carterville Kendra Sheehan News 3 Sports.
