What kept Ben Bredesen ‘26 hooked to running, specifically jumping over hurdles, was the euphoric feelings of “running fast, winning, and beating everyone else.”
However, for all the times when Bredesen doesn’t win, “it sucks.” In his sophomore year, he was struggling with his hurdle form. “I was struggling with that, so I didn’t have any great races,” said Bredesen. “I knew I could run a lot faster than the times I got so I ended the season [with times] that I wasn’t really proud of.”
Despite the disappointing season and the more-losses-than-wins nature of track, Bredesen said, “When you don’t win every time, it means that when you do win, it’s more exciting…it’s great, it just feels so much more rewarding.”
Although track is a very physical sport, Bredesen explains the enormous factors of mental resilience. He said, “[it’s not just about] who’s the fastest, but it’s like ‘how hard are you willing to push yourself?’ ‘how much pain are you willing to go through?’”
For Bredesen, despite both the physical and mental pain of track, his biggest motivation is seeing progress. “Honestly, [it’s] just trying to get better and better and seeing my times improve over the years.”
Bredesen continues to strive for growth; his commitment to D3 Vassar College means that he’ll continue to go through challenges and, in turn, get better. “The new set of coaches [will] have new things to teach me..and in college, every single person is really good,” said Bredesen, who’s not afraid, but rather excited by the difficult competition and the expansive future in front of him.
Everybody was nervous and sneaking glances at the scoreboard. It was the Boys’ Soccer Team’s first run for the State title in 2024, and in the semifinals, they were one back behind Totino-Grace. As the clock ticked and the crowd waited with high hopes, forward Oliver Brown ‘27 had missed the goal.
“I failed in preparation at that time,” reflected Brown. “I know I can be better, and it’s very disappointing when I display a set of skills, or a version of myself, to people watching and to the opponent that I know is not my best self.”
Despite feeling the hard loss, he knows, from 14 years of soccer experience, that it’s all part of the process. “It’s all necessary. You can’t really voice failure as an athlete, it’s just a part of who you are, so embrace it and learn from it.”
And Brown learned. During the 2025 State title run, he knew that this year would be different and made sure to prepare. “Athletes will tell you to visually prepare and see yourself doing well in the game so that when you are in that position, you feel like you’ve been there before. I did that for the finals and it helped.”
Brown scored two goals for the team’s 3-1 win against St. Paul Como Park. “It was surreal and emotional…I just remember falling over and screaming and repeating, ‘oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,’” reminisced Brown.
His failures and challenges of the past don’t define him, but rather, his preparation for the possibilities ahead. “My goal [is to go] into the next season with a positive mental attitude, not a feeling of arrogance or inherent entitlement that we feel we deserve because we won the previous year,” said Brown. “We [have] to go back and do the same thing over and over again.”
Once the whistle blows for the section finals, Olivia Besikof ‘27 dives into the pool water for the 100-yard butterfly and starts to count: one, two, three, four, five, six…
After 31 dolphin kicks and touching the wall, she finally looks up at the clock. 1:04.23. Disappointment. She didn’t reach her goal of 1:03.
As a year-round competitive swimmer for both the girls swim and dive team as well as her club team, Hurricanes, practicing every day and having swim meets every weekend, Besikof has grown very familiar with hardship and struggle.
“Swimming is completely a mental sport…you can’t get there without the correct mentality,” explained Besikof. “You’re always being compared to someone else.”
Rather than worrying about how fast others are before meets, Besikof’s coach asked her these questions: “Olivia, are you the fastest person in the world right now?” She responded no. “Then there’s always gonna be people faster than you. And there’s also always gonna be people slower than you. That’s just how it is.”
Now, Besikof just focuses on her own progress: “The fact that I literally just looked at the scoreboard and I wasn’t even happy about it was really hard. But now, looking back, I’m actually pretty happy about it.” Besikof dropped almost 2 seconds to get that 1:04.23, even if her section finals time wasn’t what the 103 wanted.
“The sport is just so much more than just going to practice, swimming and then going to a meet.” Swimming didn’t just give Besikof athletic growth and resilience, but also community. Besikof teaches 9 and 10-year-olds at her club and uses her time as a committee member for Minnesota Swimming and USA Swimming.
Despite all the lowlights and mental challenge of her sport, Besikof still persists simply because it’s fun. “I have so many friends and coaches, I mean, why wouldn’t I do it?”
