Shoeless Brick Bergeson
Brick Bergeson may occasionally lose a shoe, but that hasn’t stopped him from remaining undefeated in two events and qualifying for nationals already this outdoor track season.
At last year’s Big West Conference Championships, another runner stepped on Bergeson’s heel halfway through the 1500-meter run, and he lost his shoe with 500 meters left in the race.
“It was so awkward,” he said. “It was a situation that you’d never think about happening. I didn’t know what to do.”
He said he almost stopped running but decided to finish the race. He made the right decision; despite missing a shoe, Bergeson came in second place by only half a second.
“I’m glad that I finished,” he said, “but I would have liked to have won.”
He has made up for the slip of a shoe this season. After three meets, he is undefeated in both the 800 and the 1500 meters. He traveled on his own to the Stanford Invitational Friday and Saturday and raced as an individual. He beat the national qualifying mark in the 1500 with a time of three minutes, 44.6 seconds, beating his old personal record by almost five seconds.
To qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 30 to June 2 in Eugene, Ore., individual athletes must meet a certain time or distance in a qualifying meet during the season.
This is the first time Bergeson, a senior, has met that mark. But he said he wasn’t surprised he qualified this season, his fourth and final in college track.
“I’ve been running really well since outdoor track started,” he said. “I knew it was just a matter of time and getting in the right race.”
Head coach Gregg Gensel said he was confident Bergeson could qualify.
“He’s been getting better and better,” Gensel said. “He’s gone through some bad periods and struggled, but he’s running pretty well now.”
Gensel said Bergeson is also a team leader.
“He’s a great worker and a quality person,” he said. “He loves track, and he does a good job. He’s a great competitor.”
Bergeson started running in seventh grade and hasn’t stopped. He lettered four years in track and three years in cross country at Blackfoot High School. He was the state champion in the 800 with a time of 1:55.30, and placed fifth at the cross country state championships. He also competed in both cross country and track at Ricks College and served an Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission to Seoul, Korea.
He said he loves competing in both the 800 and 1500 – they’re “both fun, but both so different,” he said.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “I can’t wait.”