Cross Country, Track and Field athlete
On March 30, Godwin senior Berkley Nance will represent America at U20 Worlds in Belgrade, Serbia – the only highschooler to make the team. This comes after his exhilarating race at U20 Nationals on the familiar Pole Green Park trail in Mechanicsville VA, where he placed 6th in a field of college athletes.
This all follows other victories for Nance, notably qualifying for Nike Nationals and Footlocker Nationals, setting course records, and signing with BYU, where he hopes to win national titles with his future collegiate team.
But how does he do it?
Nance started running on the middle school track team in 6th grade, later running year round in 8th grade when he joined Godwin Cross Country for the first time. Throughout his career as a student-athlete, Nance learned many things about himself, notably overcoming adversity.
“My biggest setbacks I’ve faced are injuries. Taking a break from training, losing fitness, and then getting back into racing can be challenging. My junior track season I had IT band injury, so I was out for a majority of the season,” said Nance.
In a sport such as running, it can be difficult for one to stay motivated and keep their head in the game. Factors such as excessive pressure to PR (Personal Record) at meets, school-life balance, body dysmorphia, and self-doubt can all place unnecessary stress on a young athlete.
“One of the biggest things that has changed from 8th grade to now is not getting so nervous before races. Nerves before races are good, but too much isn’t,” said Nance,
“I made a big improvement between my junior year and senior year. I jumped from being good on the state level to being good on the national level. Everything really started to finally come together my senior year as I didn’t get injured and sick as often.”
Nance’s peers agree that his most admirable trait is his humility.
“[Berkley’s] impact on this team has been tremendous. He is so humble that I think all of his teammates just think of him as another high school runner who happens to be fast,” said Godwin Cross Country Coach Tim Crytser,
“They get to run and train alongside this incredible athlete without feeling like they are excluded or not part of his success. They all see first hand what it takes to run at a high level.”
Nance’s legacy at Godwin could be comparable to Britton Wilson, who graduated in 2019 and became the NCAA holder in the Indoor 400m. Whether or not Nance decides to run professionally after his collegiate tenure, many are looking forward to his race in Serbia, and anticipated career at BYU.
“I am so excited to see what he can accomplish and I know he will do great things on and off the track. Berkley has always been an amazing competitor, teammate, and most importantly a great friend. I would love to get to watch him compete in the Olympic trials and maybe even the Olympics. The world is his oyster!” said Class of 2023, Godwin Alumnus Henry Berger.
