SUSHI AT NATIONALS

Paige secured 24th place in the nation., while clearing 5 feet 2 1/2 inches. This was in a field that alwo included some Canadians. Below is her excerpt from the Reminder Publications on her signing with Northeastern University.

EAST LONGMEADOW – In the conference room at East Longmeadow High School, Paige Suse nervously milled around and joked with teammates, while girls track coach Michael Budd paced around the back of the room.

After a couple of minutes, he approached this reporter and said, “You can set this up however you want; I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Feb. 26, indeed, a unique day for East Longmeadow track and field, as prolific high-jumper Paige Suse signed her National Letter of Intent to Northeastern University.

The event, however unfamiliar to those who put it on, with glowing words from school administrators, pictures with her coaches, teammates, and parents and grandmother, and homemade cupcakes, made one thing abundantly clear – it was an extraordinary day for not just an extraordinary athlete, but an extraordinary member of the Spartans family.

“We’ve very proud of the things that she’s done,” Budd said. “Academically, she’s in the National Honors Society, and a lot of people don’t know she’s an accomplished saxophone player. She’s phenomenal. Everything she does, she does really, really well, and she does it effortlessly. Everything she puts her mind to seems to come naturally to her.”

In signing with Northeastern, Suse officially committed to a Division 1 program that finished second in Colonial Athletic Association Championships, 11th at New England and 19th at the ECAC Championships in 2014. The school also ranks in the top-50 in U.S. News and World Report’s list of top national colleges and universities.

 “[At Northeastern] I’ll be able to double-major in psychology and criminal justice, which is the biggest thing for me, but I also really like the location right in Boston. I think their campus is beautiful,” Suse said. “The official visit at Northeastern really cemented [my decision] because the team was really nice. I felt I was already part of the team and the coaches were always keeping in touch.”
    Suse set the Western Massachusetts indoor track and field high jump record this year, leaping 5 feet, 6 inches. Her average jump of approximately 5 feet, 4 inches, was gold-level qualifying for USA Track and Field Nationals, Budd explained. At the New England Championships on Feb. 27, she placed 19th.

This spring, she’s going for the outdoor record, which is 5 feet, 6 ¼ inches, currently owned by Budd’s daughter, and hopes to win the All-State Championships.

“Last year it came down to a jump-off. She almost won the state championship,” Budd said.

Suse and Budd both reflected on the amount of progress she has made in her six seasons with Spartan track.

“I’ve definitely grown a lot since freshman year; I only jumped [four feet, two inches] in my first meet,” Suse said.

Budd said a large part of her growth can be attributed to the fact that beyond her physical abilities, she has an attitude that sets her apart.

“The next day after [setting the indoor high jump record], instead of resting on her laurels, what she did is she came to the meet and she worked with our freshman high-jumpers and helped them achieve a higher level of success,” Budd said. “She set another school record at the State Class Relays with one of those freshmen in the relay for the high jump and got first place. She’s the kind of person who’s very giving of herself for her team.”

He added, “She’s a self-motivated athlete. She went to Nationals last year without any help from myself or any of the coaches and she ended up finishing 22nd in the country. At Northeastern, she’s going to be phenomenal because she is a self-starter.”

PAIGE GOING TO NORTHEASTERN

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Girls Track And Field, Girls Winter Track

East Longmeadow high jumper Paige Suse signs NLI to compete at Northeastern

Paige Suse signs her NLI while surrounded by her teammates. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

By Kevin Dillon | kdillon@masslive.com
on February 27, 2015 11:50 AM, updated February 27, 2015 12:27 PM

When East Longmeadow high jumper Paige Suse signed her national letter of intent to compete in Division I track and field at Northeastern University, it was something that East Longmeadow coach Michael Budd had never been a part of.

Sure, Budd had sent his track athletes off to compete at the collegiate level before. But being able to celebrate it at the school with Suse’s family and teammates was a fun experience for everyone involved.

“It was cool having all of my teammates there and my parents and my grandma,” Suse said. “It was really exciting. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure what to say, but it all went well.”

Suse, a captain of the East Longmeadow track team, is the most accomplished indoor high jumper in Western Mass. history, according to Budd, and still has her final outdoor season to go. She jumped a PVIAC record 5’ 6’’ earlier this season and will be competing in the New England Championships Friday.

Suse competed at New Balance Nationals last season as well. For a girl who is only 5’ 8’’, her results have been extra impressive.

“All of the other girls in the high jump are well over 6-feet,” Budd said of her competition at the All-State level. “She is the only one who is 5-foot-8. I can’t teach height, I’m sorry, I can’t make people taller, but I just thought it was ironic that she beats a lot of people who are a lot taller than her in stature, but she goes right after them as if they are just another competitor.”

Suse has come a long way since when she first competed as a freshman. She only jumped 4’ 2’’ on her first jump attempt, and now consistently jumps at least a foot higher than that. It was that freshman year that she knew she wanted to compete at the collegiate level.

“Since freshman year I have wanted to do it,” Suse said. “That is what I have been working toward all this time.”

Suse only applied to two schools — the University of Vermont and Northeastern. She contacted the Northeastern coaching staff early in the year, which led to her connecting with the coach and going on an official visit.

“I just really liked the location right in Boston,” Suse said. “When I went on my official visit, the team was so welcoming and all of the coaches always kept in touch. That cemented it.”

While Suse is only set to high jump at Northeastern, she has shown the capability to be flexible in the events besides the high jump. She has hurdled, run relays and done the pole vault among other things at East Longmeadow to help the team pick up points.

“She has the capability of doing well in virtually anything she tries,” Budd said. “She has diversified her abilities, but high jumping is her thing. … She will do whatever it takes for us to win.”

Budd said he is very happy to have been able to coach her during her time at East Longmeadow.

“She is a hard worker, and certainly one of the best kids I have had,” Budd said. “I’ll tell you, ten years from now, she will probably be going into the hall of fame for our school.”