Alimni Tracker: Berg comes full circle...again

Jason Berg

Jason Berg came to Farmington High School in the mid-1990's as boys basketball coach. He held that position for five years before leaving for Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where he served as an assistant men's basketball and head women's golf coach.

Eight years later he returned to FHS as girls' basketball coach where he twice took the Tigers to the section championship game. Last year he accepted an elementary school principal job in Owatonna but when FHS assistant principal Kerry Timmerman left in November for a principalship in Cottage Grove, Berg jumped at the chance to return home.

The St. Olaf College grad says he will officially start his new position no later than Dec. 17 and has already been helping out with supervision at some athletic events. 

A trio of Berg's former players continue to see increased playing time for area college basketball teams. Elena Koch has started half of the games for the College of St. Benedict where she is averaging 16.4 minutes, 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds a game....Jamie Kenealy is playing 15 minutes a night for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, averaging 3.9 points and 3.4 boards. 

Taylor Meyer is logging 14 minutes a night with averages of 4.3 and 3.0 for the University of Minnesota-Duluth where there is another Farmington connection. The top rebounder and second leading scorer for the Bulldogs is Hannah Rutten, the daughter of former Tiger assistant baseball coach Louie Rutten.

2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty, a three-year volleyball starter and two-year regular on the St. Olaf College basketball team is not playing her senior season for the Oles. She will be doing her student teaching assignment....2003 Tiger grad Michele Swedin is a sixth grade teacher and middle school girls basketball for the North Polk County Schools in Alleman, Iowa, located north of Des Moines.

Carl Elmer-St. Olaf College

2011 FHS male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer owns an 8-4 record record for the St. Olaf College wrestling team this winter...Another 2011 graduate, Kaitlin Kracke is swimming for Iowa Lakes Community College...Veteran Tiger football coach Gary Burr is back at his familiar winter job as an assistant coach for the Hastings girls' basketball team.

Former Tiger Alex Carlson has played in all 16 games this season for the Ohio State University men's hockey team...2012 Tiger graduate Betsy Anderson has a goal and an assist in 12 games for the University of Stevens Point women's puck team...

Two former Tiger athletes are serving as graduate assistant coaches at NCAA Division I level schools.  2004 male Athlete of the Year Matt Simon, who played college football for Jerry Kill at Northern Illinois, is with the Rutgers football team that will square with Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl December 28 in Orlando, Florida....Trevor Davis, a member of the FHS class of 2008 and a Hamline University graduate, is a grad assistant for the men's basketball program at Northwestern State University located in Natchitoches, Loouisiana.

When the Tiger boys' basketball team plays 10th-rated Lakeville North Friday night in Lakeville there will be at least two fans with Farmington connections rooting for North. Panther starting guard Grant Erickson is the son of 1986 FHS grad Jill Horstman and former Tiger boys basketball coach Randy Erickson.