University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Dr. Michael V. Berry 1975 - Cross Country, Track and Field
Talk about closing out your collegiate career in grand style! On a beautiful spring day in early 1975, UVM hosted the Yankee Conference Track and Field Championships, and captain - and Burlington native - Mike Berry ran the fastest mile in the history of the championships. Berry, a 1987 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, ran a 4:08.5 mile that Saturday in 1975, and two weeks later he would run 4:06.2 at the New England championships. Although not a New England mark, it still stands as the University of Vermont outdoor record.
After the conference championships in Burlington, Berry's coach, Ed Kusiak, was quoted in the Burlington Free Press (May 9, 1975): "I've had the feeling for a long time Mike was running for more than just personal pride. He mentioned to me one time he really wanted Vermonters and the student body to be proud of the track team. I know he had that in mind when he ran that mile last Saturday (May 3) and when he has run in other meets. I'm sure everyone is proud of his performance and what he did has stirred a new interest in the team and the program."
The first UVM male athlete to captain three sports (fellow inductee Patsy McLaughlin was the first woman to do so), Berry set three indoor track and field records and four outdoor standards. He was also UVM's top fall cross country runner in the mid-70's.
In addition to his prowess on the athletic field, Berry was a top scholar, receiving the top student-athlete award (Wasson Athletic Prize) at the Senior Letterwinners Banquet in 1975. Now an orthopedic surgeon in Milton, Mass., Dr. Berry graduated magna cum laude from UVM and was named a Phi Beta Kappa scholar. He also earned his doctoral degree from UVM's College of Medicine.
Dr. Berry lives in Milton with his wife Carol (UVM '74) and their three children, Michael, Liz and Paul. Liz, a member of UVM's class of 2007, was a field hockey player for the Catamounts.
