Hayley Berg never pictured herself as a Division I athlete.
Yet, the national letter of intent she signed Wednesday to run for Louisiana Tech University proves otherwise.
It just goes to show what’s possible when a determined work ethic — both athletically and academically — is combined with a supportive environment.
While Wednesday’s signing signified Berg’s future as a Lady Techster, it was also proof of all that she’s accomplish as an athlete at Thompson Valley.
She’s been an all-conference performer in both track and cross country, part of multiple state championships and a member of an All-American relay team. Her support system was essential in reaching all those goals, which is what made Wednesday so special.
“It’s extremely rewarding. I honestly never in my wildest dreams pictured it working out this well,” the senior said. “But I’ve had a lot of help along the way from my coaches and my family and my teammates. I’m just happy that I can kind of do them justice through this.”
Berg admits she’s not the most naturally gifted athlete. But by being surrounded by knowledgeable coaches and so many other talented runners at TVHS, she was able to develop into an extremely valuable contributor for coach Matt Norton. She’s also never one to miss a practice, and holds that same approach in the classroom, which helped earn her spot at La Tech.
“Her consistency and her work ethic are two things that she’s used both in the classroom and as a runner that have kind of been her bread and butter in terms of getting a scholarship,” Norton said. “You can always count on her to be where she’s supposed to be when she’s supposed to be there and doing everything she can to help herself and help the team. Those have been her hallmarks.”
While Berg has long been a staple for coach Norton’s teams over the past few years, the role she filled this past fall for the Eagles’ state-title winning cross country team was perhaps the most important. As the team’s lone senior, her experience and leadership were invaluable during a season that had a few bumps on the way to winning the program another championship.
“When we were kind of treading water in the middle of the season, it was Hayley really who had the biggest impact on keeping the girls focused and pointed in the right direction,” Norton said. “She had a big hand in our success from a leadership standpoint, and because of that, I think her teammates are really proud of and happy for her that she’s going to get to run at the next level too.”
La Tech is located in Ruston, La., a town more than 1,000 miles away with not even a third of the population of Loveland. But after visiting campus, Berg is confident the fit is just right, which includes the university’s engineering program.
“It’s definitely a college town,” Berg said. “It’s a little unusual probably for somebody from Colorado to be going to Louisiana for school, but when I visited everybody was just so genuinely kind and wanted to have a conversation, and I loved that about the city.”
With Thompson Valley continuing its tradition of producing Division I runners, such a culture of success was “immense” in Berg’s development, she said. Specifically, there was one former Eagle who motivated Berg to push herself to the limit.
“We’ve had some unbelievable runners come through while I’ve been here,” Berg said. “In particular I was really good friends with Karina Ernst, and she was very influential for me. I think everybody kind of wants to imitate the people that come before them. So our program is incredible in that regard.”
Sean Star can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 512, sstar@reporter-herald.com or on Twitter @seanvstar
