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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia
Berzonsky Shares Her Senior Experience
9/30/2018 8:11:00 PM | Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Berzonsky talks about how the 2018 season has gone so far and discusses the team's expectations to make their mark on the program.
Sunday Spotlight:Â a weekly feature to share some of the stories of the Jackrabbits competing in cross country and track and field.
Senior Emily Berzonsky is coming off of her best performance at the Roy Griak yesterday, which beats her 2017 Griak mark by 10.1 seconds and trims her season-best 6k down to 23:23.1 (beats her Woody Greeno Invite mark by 15.2 seconds).
Â
She also trimmed her place-finish at the Griak down every year to an 82nd-place finish this year (2015 - 158th, 2016 - 158th, 2017 - 83rd).
Â
"The Roy Griak yesterday has given me some confidence back for this season because I finished close to where I was last year there," said Berzonsky. "I didn't really start the season where I wanted to at the Woody Greeno Invite, because I haven't quite had enough mileage under my belt yet."
Â
The senior from Lincoln, Neb. wasn't quite able to get as many miles in this year during the summer because of busy schedule.
Â
"I worked at my hometown Sanford Profile - helping out with customer relations and media content," explained Berzonsky. "I worked at Sanford in the morning and then went to the local pool to work in the afternoon, so I either ran early in the morning or in between the jobs. It was a busy summer for me but I enjoyed it."
Â
Berzonsky had her favorite conditions at the Griak to bounce back on track for the year.
Â
"I really enjoy the chilly weather - it makes your legs numb so you can't feel the pain," Berzonsky laughed. "The course is challenging and the competition was tough, but we were prepared after running at the course on Friday."
Â
In the end, the Jackrabbits - as a team, met some of their goals but still have things they want to work on.
Â
"I think we ran really well there - we beat Northern Iowa which is a Midwest team we were trying to catch," Berzonsky explained. "Our top runners came out a little tentative, but we all had some good races and should be able continue to get better and build confidence."
Â
The women's team is stacked with talent and depth, returning nearly everyone that competed in The Summit League Championship and Midwest Regional race from a year ago.
Â
"One of our strongest aspects of our team is the depth we have," Berzonsky stated. "Last year, I would be a top-two or three runner but this year I'm five or six so that's great to have that depth and being able to all finish with good times."
Â
With the depth and talent on the team, the seniors want to make this a memorable season.
Â
"Our goal is to compete in the league championship and grab a top-15 finish in the regional meet this year," Berzonsky said. "As seniors, we all want to end our careers on a good note - no matter what that is."
Â
The senior Jackrabbit has more specific individual goals that she would consider a good note to end on.
Â
"I want us to do well at league championships, add a PR for myself, and finish higher than I did last year in both the regional and league championship," Berzonsky explained. "As for track, I want to be a part of the trip out in California. I did that my sophomore year and was able to score a PR in the 5,000m."
Â
Berzonsky feels like the team can do some special things this fall because of how close and determined the team is to reach their aspirations.
Â
"We have a good atmosphere on the team - we all want things to work out and reach what we've been working towards," Berzonsky said. "We feel like this is our year because of the depth and the front pack is good this year."
Â
The front pack is highlighted by a group of seniors that include Berzonsky, Rachel King and Mackenzie Schell.
Â
"We all want to be a part of a year that people will remember," explained Berzonsky. "As seniors, we try to provide emotional and social support for the younger girls. Rachel (King) is kind of the role model that the younger girls look up to but we all help out where we can."
Â
The seniors help by providing advice on classes and practice, adding emotional support when someone is struggling with a performance, and by suggesting tips about studying and the best places to eat on campus.
Â
Berzonsky has learned a lot through her SDSU career - and had a lot of successes, but there's one thing she wish she would have done differently.
Â
"When I was a freshman, I wish I was more confident in my ability," Berzonsky discusses. "I wish I would have been gutsier in some of my races and gone out of the gate faster."
Â
Berzonsky developed into a contributor on the course, adding All-Summit League honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons - while also being named to the league's academic honor roll and commissioner's list of academic excellence since her sophomore year.
Â
"Academics come first to me but running is a great addition to academics - it allows me to take a break from my studies and get some fresh air," Berzonsky explained. "It also helps that we have a smart team, so we can collaborate and work together on some of our academic studies."
Â
As Berzonsky finishes her senior year of school, she plans to use her community and public health major after school.
Â
"First, I would like to go to graduate school and study public health or health administration. Somewhere like Minnesota where they have good internship programs and the Mayo Clinic right there," Berzonsky said. "After that, I want to work in health as a part of the government or for a hospital and work as administrator to promote health."
Â
She has some experience in the field, working with Sanford Profile this summer, and helping Prairie Striders with their November issue.
Â
"I helped design that issue - designing the layout and writing the pieces that went into it," Berzonsky explained. "I also had some hands-on experience by helping prep the Jacks 15 Road Race while meeting some interesting people."
Â
It may be Berzonsky's last year, but there are some memories that will stick with her forever.
Â
"One of my favorite memories will be during my sophomore year at the league championships when I was rooming with Halie Mechels," Berzonsky explained. "We were really nervous for the race during the night before, so we decided to shake out the nerves by jamming to some hip hop and rap music in our hotel room - and it worked!"
Â
"Another one would be when we were coming back from the Woody Greeno Invite and we started a karaoke session on the bus," Berzonsky explained. "Even Coach (Rod) DeHaven got into it a little bit."
Â
Berzonsky and the team hopes to have another solid outing in the Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 13 where they will compete against some of the top teams in the nation at Verona, Wis.
Â
"This will be another opportunity for us to get better as a group and see where we stack up against some of the best teams in our region and in the nation," explained Berzonsky. "It can be another meet where we can compare and see where we are among Summit League competition as well."
PREVIOUS SUNDAY SPOTLIGHTS
Donnay & Peters Set For Sophomore Step (Sept. 9)
Two Jacks Share Different Hometown Experiences (Sept. 16)Â
Cayo Looking For Another Big Step (Sept. 23)
UP NEXT
The team will have a weekend off (Oct. 6) before some of the Jackrabbits travel to Verona, Wis. to compete on the 2018 NCAA Championship site at the Pre-National Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin, while another group will travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to compete at North Dakota's Ron Pynn Classic on Hobo Day weekend (Oct. 13).Â
It is the second consecutive year that the South Dakota State cross country teams will split like this on Hobo Day weekend.Â
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the South Dakota State cross country teams, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksTFXC) and Instagram (@GoJacksTFXC), and like us on Facebook (/GoJacksTFXC).
Â
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Senior Emily Berzonsky is coming off of her best performance at the Roy Griak yesterday, which beats her 2017 Griak mark by 10.1 seconds and trims her season-best 6k down to 23:23.1 (beats her Woody Greeno Invite mark by 15.2 seconds).
Â
She also trimmed her place-finish at the Griak down every year to an 82nd-place finish this year (2015 - 158th, 2016 - 158th, 2017 - 83rd).
Â
"The Roy Griak yesterday has given me some confidence back for this season because I finished close to where I was last year there," said Berzonsky. "I didn't really start the season where I wanted to at the Woody Greeno Invite, because I haven't quite had enough mileage under my belt yet."
Â
The senior from Lincoln, Neb. wasn't quite able to get as many miles in this year during the summer because of busy schedule.
Â
"I worked at my hometown Sanford Profile - helping out with customer relations and media content," explained Berzonsky. "I worked at Sanford in the morning and then went to the local pool to work in the afternoon, so I either ran early in the morning or in between the jobs. It was a busy summer for me but I enjoyed it."
Â
Berzonsky had her favorite conditions at the Griak to bounce back on track for the year.
Â
"I really enjoy the chilly weather - it makes your legs numb so you can't feel the pain," Berzonsky laughed. "The course is challenging and the competition was tough, but we were prepared after running at the course on Friday."
Â
In the end, the Jackrabbits - as a team, met some of their goals but still have things they want to work on.
Â
"I think we ran really well there - we beat Northern Iowa which is a Midwest team we were trying to catch," Berzonsky explained. "Our top runners came out a little tentative, but we all had some good races and should be able continue to get better and build confidence."
Â
The women's team is stacked with talent and depth, returning nearly everyone that competed in The Summit League Championship and Midwest Regional race from a year ago.
Â
"One of our strongest aspects of our team is the depth we have," Berzonsky stated. "Last year, I would be a top-two or three runner but this year I'm five or six so that's great to have that depth and being able to all finish with good times."
Â
With the depth and talent on the team, the seniors want to make this a memorable season.
Â
"Our goal is to compete in the league championship and grab a top-15 finish in the regional meet this year," Berzonsky said. "As seniors, we all want to end our careers on a good note - no matter what that is."
Â
The senior Jackrabbit has more specific individual goals that she would consider a good note to end on.
Â
"I want us to do well at league championships, add a PR for myself, and finish higher than I did last year in both the regional and league championship," Berzonsky explained. "As for track, I want to be a part of the trip out in California. I did that my sophomore year and was able to score a PR in the 5,000m."
Â
Berzonsky feels like the team can do some special things this fall because of how close and determined the team is to reach their aspirations.
Â
"We have a good atmosphere on the team - we all want things to work out and reach what we've been working towards," Berzonsky said. "We feel like this is our year because of the depth and the front pack is good this year."
Â
The front pack is highlighted by a group of seniors that include Berzonsky, Rachel King and Mackenzie Schell.
Â
"We all want to be a part of a year that people will remember," explained Berzonsky. "As seniors, we try to provide emotional and social support for the younger girls. Rachel (King) is kind of the role model that the younger girls look up to but we all help out where we can."
Â
The seniors help by providing advice on classes and practice, adding emotional support when someone is struggling with a performance, and by suggesting tips about studying and the best places to eat on campus.
Â
Berzonsky has learned a lot through her SDSU career - and had a lot of successes, but there's one thing she wish she would have done differently.
Â
"When I was a freshman, I wish I was more confident in my ability," Berzonsky discusses. "I wish I would have been gutsier in some of my races and gone out of the gate faster."
Â
Berzonsky developed into a contributor on the course, adding All-Summit League honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons - while also being named to the league's academic honor roll and commissioner's list of academic excellence since her sophomore year.
Â
"Academics come first to me but running is a great addition to academics - it allows me to take a break from my studies and get some fresh air," Berzonsky explained. "It also helps that we have a smart team, so we can collaborate and work together on some of our academic studies."
Â
As Berzonsky finishes her senior year of school, she plans to use her community and public health major after school.
Â
"First, I would like to go to graduate school and study public health or health administration. Somewhere like Minnesota where they have good internship programs and the Mayo Clinic right there," Berzonsky said. "After that, I want to work in health as a part of the government or for a hospital and work as administrator to promote health."
Â
She has some experience in the field, working with Sanford Profile this summer, and helping Prairie Striders with their November issue.
Â
"I helped design that issue - designing the layout and writing the pieces that went into it," Berzonsky explained. "I also had some hands-on experience by helping prep the Jacks 15 Road Race while meeting some interesting people."
Â
It may be Berzonsky's last year, but there are some memories that will stick with her forever.
Â
"One of my favorite memories will be during my sophomore year at the league championships when I was rooming with Halie Mechels," Berzonsky explained. "We were really nervous for the race during the night before, so we decided to shake out the nerves by jamming to some hip hop and rap music in our hotel room - and it worked!"
Â
"Another one would be when we were coming back from the Woody Greeno Invite and we started a karaoke session on the bus," Berzonsky explained. "Even Coach (Rod) DeHaven got into it a little bit."
Â
Berzonsky and the team hopes to have another solid outing in the Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 13 where they will compete against some of the top teams in the nation at Verona, Wis.
Â
"This will be another opportunity for us to get better as a group and see where we stack up against some of the best teams in our region and in the nation," explained Berzonsky. "It can be another meet where we can compare and see where we are among Summit League competition as well."
PREVIOUS SUNDAY SPOTLIGHTS
Donnay & Peters Set For Sophomore Step (Sept. 9)
Two Jacks Share Different Hometown Experiences (Sept. 16)Â
Cayo Looking For Another Big Step (Sept. 23)
UP NEXT
The team will have a weekend off (Oct. 6) before some of the Jackrabbits travel to Verona, Wis. to compete on the 2018 NCAA Championship site at the Pre-National Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin, while another group will travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to compete at North Dakota's Ron Pynn Classic on Hobo Day weekend (Oct. 13).Â
It is the second consecutive year that the South Dakota State cross country teams will split like this on Hobo Day weekend.Â
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the South Dakota State cross country teams, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksTFXC) and Instagram (@GoJacksTFXC), and like us on Facebook (/GoJacksTFXC).
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-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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