For BYU women’s tennis freshman Sage Bergeson, the past few months have been a dream come true.
Ever since watching BYU as a 12-year-old, she imagined wearing blue for the Cougars someday.
Out of Woods Cross High School in Utah, Bergeson has quickly adjusted to college life and competition. Earlier this month, she won two singles matches in the qualifying draw to earn a spot in the main draw of the ITA Mountain Regional, where she fell in the first round.
Bergeson and her doubles partner, Yuyun Chen, also won two matches in the doubles draw before losing in the third round.
For Bergeson, her tennis journey started in her backyard with her mom, Jocee Bergeson, who played tennis at Utah State. Six years old at the time, she was already learning the ropes of the sport she would grow to love. She also tried tumbling, soccer and dance before deciding at the age of 12 to commit to tennis full-time.
Full-time for Bergeson included working on her craft six days a week — a grind that she admits used to be tiring.
“When I was younger, I didn't really have the passion for it or the love for it,” Bergeson said. “But now I feel like I really love it, so I don't get tired.”
A moment that helped to develop her passion for tennis occurred in Provo at the tennis courts.
“We went to a BYU match, and I was like, I want to play tennis there,” Bergeson recalled. “So it's been my dream since I was really little. When I got the opportunity to come play here, I was so excited. It was a no-brainer.”
Before her commitment to BYU, following an official visit, Bergeson originally decided to walk in her mom’s footsteps at Utah State. But after committing to Utah State, Bergeson learned her dream school had taken notice. When BYU offered her a spot, the five-star recruit changed course and hasn’t looked back.
It's a decision Bergeson has loved so far as she settles into the busy life of a student-athlete.
“I've been loving it. It's been busy and hard, but a good hard,” Bergeson said. “There's definitely been highs and lows, but overall highs. It’s been awesome.”
One of the highlights for Bergeson is the religious experience BYU offers. She loves that class can be started with a prayer, and she loves the devotionals that occur every Tuesday on campus to help strengthen the students and faculty spiritually.
She even loves some of the “weird” quirks, like calling her professor “Brother” instead of “Professor.” To Bergeson, they’re all good things that make BYU stand out in comparison to other schools.
As Bergeson looks ahead to the rest of her freshman season, her goal is to keep growing and enjoying the game she loves at the place that was once a dream for her younger self.
“I'm just trying to focus on the match that I have and take it point by point,” Bergeson said.