Everyone is going to want to remember the name Paul Bergeron. Since his freshman year, he has taken WA, and the Dual County League (DCL), by storm in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. His accolades are bountiful, stretching from being an individual Massachusetts state champion in cross country, to finishing in fifth place in the 5,000 meter race at nationals, to holding the school record in both the one and two mile races.
These incredible feats have helped lead Bergeron to national prominence, and he will continue his remarkable running career next year at Stanford University.
Bergeron’s college search process centered around finding the school that could offer him the home away from home feeling, had a nationally ranked cross country and track and field team, and is academically prestigious. His final four schools were Stanford University, Harvard University, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Virginia, before eventually deciding on Stanford.
“The guys and coaches at Stanford were the best out of any school I visited. It was definitely where I felt I would be the happiest,” Bergeron said. “It’s been my dream school since I decided to really devote my time to the sport.”
To get to Stanford in the first place, Bergeron had to dedicate immense amounts of time and effort to perfecting his craft. This meant training nearly every day, and keeping his body in peak condition. With this process comes setbacks and struggles, but Bergeron has a knack for fighting through adversity.
“I think I have a unique resilience to overcome hiccups in training and just stack years on years of doing everything I can to be the best version of myself possible,” Bergeron said. “It’s all about consistency.”
Boys’ Cross Country Head Coach Scott Hafferkamp praises Bergeron’s dedication to his craft, and acknowledges how his hard work has paid off in such drastic measures.
“Paul has embraced running as a lifestyle, and he does all the little things relating to training that often go overlooked,” Hafferkamp said. “He has set lofty goals each season, and his singular focus in achieving these goals is modeled for his teammates.”
The team atmosphere and chemistry at WA is also undeniable, and Bergeron credits his teammates for being a major factor in his journey.
“The guys at WA play a huge role in my success. Having guys to push you on a daily basis is definitely a necessary thing if you want to set and achieve lofty goals,” Bergeron said. I’m obviously super close with them outside of training and racing, too.”
One of his longtime teammates, senior captain Davis Haines, credits Bergeron’s impact on the team, both with his individual contributions as WA’s top runner, but also as a leader for his teammates.
“Paul is someone who is very determined to achieve what he wants, either for running or in school,” Haines said. “He also influences a lot of the team to become better athletes, which is something that everyone appreciates.”
This strong team bond that Bergeron has at WA is something that he is looking forward to continue experiencing when he makes it to the Stanford campus next fall.
“I talked to a lot of athletes from the class of ‘24. We got a lot of top recruits and just some of the best and hardest working people in the class. I was in Colorado for a bit this summer and got to train with one of those future teammates.” Bergeron said. “I’m really excited to experience the culture at Stanford firsthand. I just want to surround myself with the best people I can.”
Another draw that Stanford offers which lured Bergeron in was the coaching staff and their dedication to the program.
“The distance coach there is Ricardo Santos and the head director of track and field is JJ Clark. My relationship with Santos is great and it feels really natural talking to him about my goals and aspirations. I believe he will best foster my growth as an athlete,” Bergeron said. “He used to coach at Harvard and a professional team in Boston so he knows the area I’m from, which is always nice.”
One significant change that Stanford will begin facing is their transition from the Pacific-12 Conference (PAC-12) to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This means that for dual meets, Stanford, which is in California, will have to travel across the country to face off against teams along the Atlantic coast. However, Bergeron doesn’t think it will make a huge difference on the team’s performance.
“Running doesn’t have a ton of head-to-head races, so it [the conference change] will only affect a few meets each year. And getting to fly to the East Coast to compete at conference meets will hopefully make it possible for my parents to come out and support,” Bergeron said. “It’s also an extremely loaded conference so I’m excited for the competition.”
Overall, Bergeron is thrilled to be taking his talents over to Stanford, and hopes to help the Cardinal fight for a PAC-12 championship starting next year.
“I’m super excited to compete at the highest possible level,” Bergeron said.
