Michael Nossek (right) passes the baton to Ioan Pereira in the 4×400 meter relay during the Suffolk Relays Jan. 11 (courtesy of Michael Nossek).

Suffolk just acquired its newest cannon this track season — freshman track star Michael Nossek is a weapon on the track and is here to stay.

The 18-year-old biochemistry major ran the 60 yard dash in 6.80 seconds at Harvard University’s Crimson Open meet Feb. 8, breaking his own record he previously set of 7.03 seconds. From high school track to the collegiate level, Nossek is the definition of a “student athlete.”

Nossek grew up in Hyannis, Cape Cod, and attended Sturgis West high school with a class size of around 100 students. Nossek left the small town life to pursue his track career at Suffolk University, but has been running track all throughout his time down the Cape.

“I ran track all four years of high school. I had a decision my freshman year of high school to play either tennis or track, and I chose track. One of my best friends was on the team and I thought it’d be interesting. I joined the team and ran a 12:05 in a mock 100 meter dash. It was pretty good for a high school freshman, so I stuck with it,” said Nossek.

Nossek really found his love for the sport as his sophomore year of high school came around. After having to endure the covid year, Nossek was finally able to take the mask off and socialize with the team and find the romance of the sport through friendships and workouts. He was able to bond with his teammates and got a grip on his athletic performance.

After settling in with his high school team, Nossek dominated during his junior year of highschool. Nossek went undefeated in his league in the 100 and 200 meter dash, and at the end of the season he broke 23 seconds in the 200, running a 22.08 second 200 dash.

“It was the first time I was really good at something — I was recognized around the school, by my friends and other athletes. It was a weird, but good feeling — just very new,” said Nossek.
By his senior year, Nossek was a captain on his high school’s track team and knew all of the ins and outs of track. He would help younger runners to develop their sprinting technique and work ethic, something he values deeply as an athlete.

“I think that track is definitely about the physical, but it’s so heavily about the mental as well. There’s this pressure, work ethic and consistency that goes into it — I learned a lot about that part of me which has helped me in other areas of my life, especially school and monotonous things I have to do in my day,” said Nossek.

Since coming to Suffolk, Nossek has left the small town life and has adapted to the big city. When he’s not training, in class or at practice, Nossek is thrifting, hanging out with friends and finding new music.

“The team is having a karaoke night on the 20th, so I’m getting my two songs together and doing my choreography–freshman year track has been awesome so far,” said Nossek.
Coming into the Suffolk team, Nossek has found inspiration in his older teammates. Joshua Durand, Emily Concepcion and Ioan Pereira have been role models in shaping his mindset and energy coming into each season.

“I take a lot of inspiration from them, especially Durand. He’s a senior and a big 400 runner. I can tell when I joined the team that there was a real sense of community and this drive to be better. In all of the teams I’ve been a part of, I can tell that the people here really want everyone else to succeed, as well as themselves. That energy has helped me become more integrated in the team,” said Nossek.

Along with his teammates, Nossek is inspired by the coaching staff as well, in particular his coach Kerstin Darsney. According to Nossek, she is “one of the nicest ladies [he’s] ever met in [his] entire life,” a testament to Suffolk’s quality of sports staff.

“She goes with the flow almost. She will look at your progress, how you’re doing and really develop a personalized goal and message for you. You’re not just clumped in with other people with differing abilities and strengths. She looks at you and really adapts around you, which is really nice and I think has propelled my physical performance so far,” said Nossek.
Coming from such a small high school, collegiate sports have been something of a culture shock for Nossek. Whether it be the plethora of equipment, the weight room, training room or the seemingly endless Suffolk merchandise, Nossek feels eternally grateful.

“I remember everyone else was like, ‘Oh yeah [the merch] is standard,’ while I’m over here in awe. You should’ve seen my face when I got my jacket. This jacket is so cool, I wear it everyday. The backpack that I got — I love it. Showing school spirit and being able to have these things, I’m really blessed,” said Nossek.

Getting accustomed to the collegiate level was definitely an adjustment for Nossek. Early, strenuous training and heavy competition was a new track for the track star. By the second semester, Nossek found himself more comfortable and ready. There’s definitely been a shift towards the end of this indoor season where he has started to look at races with excitement instead of fear.
There’s definitely pressure and fear, but for the 60 and the 200, he’s now just excited to run it.

“I’ve got this more morbid take on it, like let me get in there and let me die. Let me give it my all. This might suck at the moment, but it’s gonna be awesome. I broke the 60 meter record — the first one I broke — and knowing that I broke a school record was so insane and really opened my eyes to what is possible for me. That really gave me a lot of motivation to keep improving my times and getting better at lifts,” said Nossek.

To mitigate the pressure of collegiate-level track, Nossek goes back “to his repetitions” and his training.

“I think that your confidence in a sport comes from the words you put in. When I’m walking to my race, I’m thinking ‘Ok i’ve run this race so many times, I’ve trained for this race, I’ve been doing the lifts — I have the ability to really perform here. I can’t succumb to the fear of another kid running a fast time,” said Nossek.

Nossek also finds confidence within himself from his teammates. Whether it be their words of affirmation or a simple high five, the team is structurally sound. Everyone has each other’s backs.

Nossek has fallen in love with the city and the track program at Suffolk. He plans to run track all four years of his college career and finds that it has helped him adjust to living life independently.

“All of the other freshmen on the team are currently some of my best friends here and some of us live together in Smith. My work ethic, organization, pressure mitigation and ability to work with other people and teammates have been heightened. It’s definitely one of the more difficult sports I’ve played in my life, but through practice and the team I have a lot of fun. There’s something so beautiful about all the pain and training I’ve endured through track,” said Nossek.

Nossek will continue his studies of biochemistry and continue breaking records at Suffolk. A true student athlete, you can expect to be hearing the name Michael Nossek at Suffolk for years to come.