Two-time world medalist and five-time state champion, Bennett Berge, prepares for his debut at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship as a No. 3 seed in hopes to qualify for nationals.
The Jackrabbit wrestling team will compete at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship that takes place March 9-10 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The outcome of the Big 12 Championship determines if wrestlers advance to the NCAA Championship.
Redshirt freshman Berge says that the team has been training for the national tournament throughout the entire season.
“The end of the year is about peaking at the right time and feeling good,” Berge said. “If we do that, our team will do pretty well.”
After closing the regular season with a Border Bell victory, Berge is ranked in the top 10 of the 184-pound weight class with a 15-3 record.
Berge had one of the most admirable high school careers in Minnesota history, earning five consecutive state individual titles in five different weight classes for Kasson-Mantorville. His impressive career led to be named 2022 Mr. Minnesota Wrestler of the Year.
The redshirt freshman continued to add to his long list of accomplishments by representing Team USA twice at the U20 Worlds Championships, bringing home two world medals, silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023.
“Bennett has brought accomplishments to the team; but it doesn’t stop there. He wants to continue to develop, improve and do bigger and better things,” said Jackrabbit wrestling head coach Damion Hahn. “Bennett is a competitor and doesn’t compete like a freshman does. His drive and demeanor are key to his overall success.”
Berge hopes to continue the theme of success at his debut in the Big 12 Championship and take one step closer to the NCAA Championship.
“When it comes to my future goals, I’m trying my best to stay in the present,” Berge said. “My goal right now is being a national champion, hopefully I will accomplish that this year.”
The success in the sport of wrestling runs in Berge’s blood. Alongside Hahn on the coaching staff, Bennett’s older brother, Brady Berge, helps Bennett train and prepare to achieve his goal of being a national champion.
“I think growing up in the same household as Bennett and going through similar paths in the sport of wrestling, has made a positive impact on the coach and athlete relationship,” Brady Berge said.
Before accepting an assistant coaching position for the Jackrabbits in 2021, Brady Berge competed at Pennsylvania State University and qualified for nationals twice.
“Bennett would come train with me in the summers while I was in college at a local club in Pennsylvania. It was amazing to see how much he improved in the four to six weeks he would visit me,” Brady Berge said. “It makes me happy that he loves the sport enough to continue to try to be the best wrestler and person he can be.”
Bennett Berge says that it is easy to trust his brother as a coach because Brady Berge has gained reliable knowledge while competing on the biggest wrestling stages for some of the best coaches in the world.
During the final minutes of each warm-up, the Berge brothers take a moment to focus and lock into the match. As a superstition, Brady squeezes Bennett’s neck, taps his chest and slaps his butt before he takes the mat.
The Minnesota native keeps an effort-dominated mindset while preparing for the Big 12 Championship. The Jackrabbits preach the importance of maximum effort, as they can only control themselves on the mat, Hahn said. This mindset has led to Bennett’s past victories and will hopefully assist in success in the upcoming tournaments.
On March 9-10, Bennett Berge will wrestle at the Big 12 Championship in the 184-pound weight class in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is one step closer to meeting his goal of being a national champion.
“My mindset is all effort,” said Bennett Berge. “If I give it my all and control what I can control, good things usually happen.”