When offered the responsibility of captain of the Oregon men’s cross country team, Adam Bergquist was hesitant, but now he has taken on the role with enthusiasm, and his running is coming back to him as if by divine inspiration.
The senior from Boulder, Colo., has been running in green and yellow for almost five years, and it seems as though he has saved his best for the end.
In the last two races for the Ducks, Bergquist, the only senior on the team, has finished second on the squad behind All-American junior Jason Hartmann. He took 11th overall at both the Pacific-10 Conference Championships and the Western Regional Championships, and is now leading the Ducks into the NCAA Championships on Monday in Greenville, S.C.
Early in the season, though, Bergquist was struggling to
regain his strength after suffering an injury to his foot Jan. 1 that almost kept him from returning.
“I knew that I would eventually be able to run again,” Bergquist said. “But it was an injury severe enough that I didn’t think I would be able to compete for the University of
Oregon again.”
Bergquist suffered a partially torn tendon in his foot, and
after two weeks in a cast and five months of rest, he finally
began the slow process of getting back into running shape. It was not until August that he was able to begin training for the cross country season.
“There was a while in the spring that I wasn’t sure that I was going to come back this fall and do it again,” he said.
Bergquist, a Pac-10 cross country All-Academic first team selection in 2000 with a near-perfect grade point average, could have graduated with an exercise and movement science degree. However, when he realized through his rehabilitation that he could possibly make an impact on the team, he decided to tack on general science major, too.
“What I was most excited about coming back for when I figured I could run was being with the team,” he said.
Although many may think that cross country is an individual sport, Bergquist will be the first to tell you otherwise. He said the team’s goals are much more important than individual success.
“(Your teammates) are doing their job and doing the best they can for you, and you are doing your best to not let them down,” Bergquist said.
Head coach Martin Smith, in his third year at Oregon, said Bergquist is a pleasure to work with.
“I think the thing that I tend to appreciate and respect and admire about Adam is he really enjoys the process of being on a team and working hard every day,” Smith said.
Bergquist did not place in a scoring role for the Ducks (except for a “B” Unit race in September) until the Pac-10 Championships. If his slow start in the fall instilled some doubt in the minds of the other Oregon runners about Bergquist’s ability to lead the team, their reservations have disappeared as the season has progressed. Through his work ethic and experience, Bergquist has become a teammate to look to for advice and leadership.
“I think that it took some time this season for (the other runners) to see me in that role just because nobody, including myself, knew where I was going to be as far as being able to help the team,” he said.
The team is now aware of Bergquist’s love of running and desire to win.
“He’s definitely on a mission,” sophomore Brett Holts said about Bergquist’s desire to go to the NCAA Championships, something he has not had the opportunity to do before Monday’s race.
Bergquist credits much of his newfound prowess on the cross country course to getting his strength back after his long layoff from running. Much of this strength comes from his faith, Bergquist said.
“I look at it as a total blessing and opportunity,” he said. “My main motivation is to do the best with what God has given me — both in renewed strength and another opportunity.”
Bergquist is accustomed to dealing with pain that running has caused him as he has had injuries to his knees, hamstring, hip flexor and Achilles tendon before this latest affliction to his foot. His faith in God was a light at the end of the tunnel that helped him through the tough winter and spring dealing with his most recent pain, he said.
On Monday, Oregon will accomplish its goal of reaching the NCAA Championships, where the Ducks hope Bergquist will lead them to success.