PETOSKEY — Connor Berg is well informed on the throwing history of the Petoskey track and field program.
He has to be. He’s got a goal of one day being a part of it, and he’s in a fight to make up for lost time.
Most meets, Berg can be found at the top of the list for shot put and discus for the Northmen, a name you wouldn’t find a year ago in that spot.
A junior at Petoskey, Berg missed all of his sophomore season.
“The last time I threw was my freshman year,” he said. “I fractured my tibia last spring, so I missed that whole entire season. I’ve been in the weight room all that time and then also my technique has improved.”
The numbers have taken a significant jump from that freshman year, as well.
Berg had a best throw of 34-feet, 0.5 inches in the shot put as a freshman, though just recently has begun flirting with 50-feet.
Last weekend at the Gary Rathbun Invite in Cadillac, Berg showed out with a 49-feet, 2-inch first place finish, a new personal best.
While he’s worked on his strength and form, it’s really just feeling more comfortable within the circle and knowing himself better, as he’s grown into a 6-foot-4, 230-pound athlete.
“I’m more controlled in my body,” Berg said. “My technique is getting faster and faster every day and it’s just understanding my body more.”
The progression for Berg is good news for someone as driven and goal oriented as him, as he focuses in on a Petoskey record that’s claimed the record books’ top spot for 13 years.
Tommy Roush set the school record in shot in 2013 with a throw of 57-feet, 1-inch, a mark Berg has his eyes.
“I’m gunning for the school record by the end of my senior year,” he said. “My goal by the end of this year is 52-feet. Then next year, that puts me on track for a 57-1.”
His shot put has already improved 15-feet from the last season he was able to throw, so it’s hard to not believe he’ll have it in him.
In the discus, Berg has also enjoyed some top spots in the standings, claiming two runner-up finishes and a first place when Petoskey finally hosted on Wednesday, April 22.
His throw of 140-feet, 1-inch in Cadillac set a new personal best, a couple years after throwing around 90-feet as a freshman.
“Right now, with disc, I’m just trying to get a little better and better every meet,” he said. “Whether that’s not throwing further but my technique felt smoother, just one small cue every week.”
After Roush set the school records in shot and disc, a mark of 172-feet, 1-inch, in 2013, Petoskey’s points from its collection of throwers fell off for around a decade.
It wasn’t until around 2024, Berg’s freshman year, that things started to swing up for Northmen throwers, with Brody Shaw and Korbin Sulitis both scoring in meets.
With not every team able to grab points out of throws, Berg knows how key his own can be for the Northmen when it comes to claiming team victories, particularly regionals.
“They’re very, very important,” he said. “If you look at the Freeland meet. We scored 38 team points and I had two second place finishes for 16 of those. Throwing is a big portion, especially with having to rebuild a little this year, losing all of our invitational athletes from last year. So it’s a big portion to have our throwers ready to go.”
On Wednesday, Berg was ready to go with two first place finishes for the Northmen at home, tossing 49-feet even in the shot, along with 137-feet, 9-inches in discus.
Other notable Petoskey standouts from Wednesday’s meet against Alpena, Traverse City West and Petoskey St. Michael can be found below.
BOYS
400 — Jace Shaw, 2nd, 56.57 (PR); 800 — Zahar Rush, 2nd, 2:04.40 (PR); 1,600 — Cody Bradley, St. Michael, 2nd, 4:49.16; 3,200 — Zahar Rush, 1st, 10:24.00; Shot — Trevor Goldsmith, 2nd, 40-2.5; Discus — Jace Shaw, 3rd, 120-1 (PR); Pole Vault — Isaac Stebelton, 2nd, 12-feet; Lucas Corey, 3rd, 11-6 (PR); Long Jump — Aidan Causey, 1st, 19-9.
GIRLS
100 — Lyla Janes, 1st, 13.40; 1,600 — Ava Pawlick, 1st, 6:06.15; 100 Hurdles — Alexandra Petok, 2nd, 17.28; 4×100 Relay — Piper Krzywosinski, Breanna Ramsvig, Marlee Grieves, Lyla Janes, 1st, 53.42; Shot — Leah Sulitis, 1st, 32-6, Ella Sulitis, 2nd, 31-8; Pole Vault — Sarah Bailey, 1st, 11-feet; Long Jump — Lyla Janes, 1st, 16-4.25, Alexandra Petok, 2nd, 16-feet.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey’s Connor Berg scoring big for Northmen track, eyeing big goals
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
