Berg & Pioneers First to Bring NCAA DI Championship West

Photo: TSN Go/ESPN2 Screenshot -- Coquitlam Adanacs Alumni Wesley Berg was named the NCAA DI Men's Lacrosse Most Outstanding Player as his 5 Goals led the fourth-seeded University of Denver Pioneers (16-2) to a 10-5 win over the University of Maryland Terrapins (15-3). The Pioneers became the first NCAA DI Men's Lacrosse program outside of the eastern time zone to win the National Championship. 

When speaking with Brian Falzarano of NCAA.com Berg admitted, “It’s been a long journey.” Over the course of Berg's four years at DU the program has battled through; a 10-9 loss to eventual NCAA Champion University of Loyola (MD) in the 2012 Quarterfinals, a 9-8 Semi Final loss to Syracuse University in 2013, and a 15-12 defeat against another eventual National Champion, Duke University, in May 2014. But we know Berg's individual journey runs deeper, even over the course of the past year. 

After the loss to Duke last May, Berg joined Team Canada in July as one of its youngest members. With the familiar surroundings of Colorado, Berg and Team Canada would win the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship for Men's Field Lacrosse. Almost immediately following, Berg joined the BCJALL Coquitlam Adanacs and DU teammate Tyler Pace in 5 Regular Season Games (12 G - 14 A), before the start of a gruelling summer playoffs. Berg and Pace would face-off against incoming DU Freshman teammate Jeremy Bosher and the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the 2014 BCJALL Finals. The series would run all seven games before the Adanacs pulled out the win; then beating the Calgary Mountaineers 3-1 in the best of 5 Western Canadian Finals to represent the West at the 2014 Minto Cup. The Adanacs would eventually lose to the Six Nations Arrows in 6 Games. Berg recorded 6 Goals and 15 Assist in those 6 Games. 

After being so close last summer to the Minto Cup and so close in the three previous years at Denver, it is remarkable how focused Berg and Pace would be throughout the 2015 NCAA Season. “This year, we were one goal away from losing again and we stuck to it and things went our way this time,” Berg said. “And it's probably because of all the perseverance we had and all the confidence we had in our team and the depth we had this year.” 

Congratulations to Wesley Berg, Tyler Pace, and Jeremy Bosher!