Before 8th grade, the only running that Pleasant Valley senior Max Sorgenfrey had done was on the football field. Now, he is poised to run at the cross country state meet for the third time.
“I was really skinny for football, and I would just sit there on the bench. During the 7th grade track season, I had a lot of success in the mile and 800. Some friends tried to get me to do cross country, so I ran a 5k during the following summer and got 2nd in my age group. I decided I wanted to make the switch,” said Sorgenfrey.
A standout from the start, Sorgenfrey battled for the top spot during his 8th grade cross country season and finished 3rd for the team at the state meet. Sorgenfrey truly started to shine during high school. An alternate at state his freshman year, Sorgenfrey has been a contributor to varsity ever since.
Erik Belby, head cross country coach, knew Sorgenfrey would be a star. “I had high hopes for him even just coming out of junior high. As he has progressed through high school he has continuously gotten better and earned his spot by cranking it out. He is like a blue collar runner. He goes out there and gets the job done,” said Belby.
It is Sorgenfrey’s consistency that makes him stand out. “If one of my teammates is having a bad day, I always run the same or a little bit better than the meet before and I can make up for their time loss,” he said.
Sorgenfrey’s teammates are a big reason for his success, always spurring him on to keep getting better and show the world what he can do. “A lot of my influence has come from the older runners before me like Jacob Mumey, Tarun Vedula, Luke Knepp, Matthew Bender and Kole Sommer,” he shared.
Running has completely changed Sorgenfrey’s life. “From a physical standpoint, running has kept me healthy. From a mental standpoint, it allows me to keep my mind clear. When I don’t exercise I become very grumpy,” he said.
Along with improving his physical and mental health, the sport has brought Sorgenfrey lasting friendships. Over the summer, Sorgenfrey and other teammates traveled to Colorado for training and team bonding. It was an experience Sorgenfrey will never forget.
“It brought all of the varsity and older guys closer even if we were running in different races during the season. We were able to just have fun running with each other in the mountains,” he said.
The team put in a lot of hard work over the summer to try and make the most of this season. As they approach the road to state, the team’s hopes for state placement have increased. But before they get to the state meet, the team has to get top three at the district meet. “I hope that we can either win the district or get second to Kennedy,” said Sorgenfrey. Pleasant Valley is the second highest ranked team in their district behind Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
“For the state meet, we all have the big goal of getting top three in the state. It’ll take us all running great on the same day, but I think it is very doable,” Sorgenfrey said.
Sorgenfrey hopes that he can make his last state appearance a memorable one. “I would like to be All-State, it will take a good day for that to happen but I believe that I can do it,” he said.
After high school, Sorgenfrey hopes to continue his running career. “As of right now I want to go to a D3 school and run cross country and track and field. After college I want to go into the world of marathons, ultramarathons, and triathlons,” he said. Sorgenfrey doesn’t see himself leaving the field of running for a very long time.
Before going off to college, Sorgenfrey hopes to leave a lasting legacy on the cross country program through his role of team captain. “I’ve guided the younger runners into loving the sport just as much as I do, but at the same time kept the varsity and upperclassmen heads level in tough team situations.” Sorgenfrey has kept the team focused and locked in on their big goals for the postseason.
“He gets the team going in practice, he pays attention to the little details and follows through his words with his actions,” said Belby.
Sorgenfrey, always trying to lift up his teammates and keep them motivated, hopes that everyone realizes how important they are to the team, “I want people to know that no matter where you are on the team you have a role to play. If you are the seventh man on varsity, we still need you there no matter what. Or if you are running JV we still need guys there to work at it to fight for a varsity spot.”
Sorgenfrey understands the sport seems daunting to newcomers. “It takes a lot of work to get good. You aren’t going to see results right away, it takes multiple seasons to see the results you want.”
Sorgenfrey shows a lot of determination and passion for his sport – especially when the going gets tough. “I hope everyone realizes what a competitor he is. When he gets tired he doesn’t back down. He finds a way to keep cranking. I’ll miss that competitive drive to never roll and say we are done and just keep on going right to the end,” said Belby.
At the end of the day, Sorgenfrey has words of wisdom that apply to everyone: “You can grow no matter what. Even if you are not one of the best when you start in high school, you can become one of the best.”
