Missing Paityn’s first breath was the last downfall Berry could take on a roller coaster of a freshman year at Hampton.
“I was thinking about it and realized I was only going to get to see her Thanksgiving, Christmas,” he said. “I couldn’t live with just seeing her two weekends out of the year.”
Today marks the start of the 2014 winter season. And though he’s not yet in racing shape, when Berry finally takes to the track, he’ll again put on a blue jersey.
Only it won’t say Hampton.
Berry is in his first season on the track and field team at North Carolina.
But while he made it to UNC, where he admits he always wanted to be, his journey home to be close to his baby girl was far from easy.
To stay or go?
When Berry first got to Hampton, it was love at first sight.
He especially loved the track and field team’s chemistry, as he experienced it on his 4×400 relay team that advanced to the NCAA regional qualifier in 2012 with four freshmen and one sophomore.
But above all, Berry cherished his relationship with Hampton coach Steve Lewis.He was the man who helped convince the young sprinter to choose track, after running for the first time as a high-school senior, over Division I basketball scholarship offers from East Carolina, UNC-Wilmington and Bucknell.
So when Berry received word, just months after arriving in Virginia, that Hampton planned on letting go of Lewis, the thought of transferring immediately popped into his head.
Then came the biggest news of his then-18-year-old life .
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Berry had a baby on the way, and now his decision was set in stone. He would transfer to a school closer to home at the end of the year to be with her.
He submitted a request for his release — an NCAA requirement for a Division I transfer athlete to compete at another D-I school.
The request was just a formality. Normally, transferring isn’t an issue, yet Berry had to wait for Hampton’s approval.
The school wouldn’t loosen its grip on the talented young sprinter. His request was denied.
“When I told them I wanted to go home and be close to my daughter, they were like, ‘That’s not a legit reason to leave school,’” Berry said. “They literally just sat there and said, ‘That’s not a good reason to leave.’
“It was just an unbelievable feeling — something you would never expect.”
Berry, however, couldn’t have cared less about the school’s decision. He knew what he had to do, even if that meant putting his track career in jeopardy.
His daughter came first.
“I told the guy in the meeting, ‘Regardless of what y’all say. I’m not going to come back,’” Berry said. “‘If I have to sit out for a year and do nothing, that’s what I’m going to do.’”
After Hampton denied his transfer request, he returned home for the summer to be with Paityn.
To continue to pursue his track career, Berry only had one option — to attend a two-year junior college. He decided on Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kan.
He was allured by the legacy of past track and field stars that had gone through the same program, notably Olympic medalists Veronica Campbell-Brown and Tyson Gay.
At Barton, Berry picked up right where he left off his freshman season by being named a junior college All-American in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and the 4×100 relay.
When Berry took to the podium to be honored at the NJCAA championships, the feeling of winning on a big stage quickly rushed back into his veins.
He admitted to being satisfied with the three honors for just 20 minutes before the itch to compete on an even bigger stage returned.
“When I won the 200 and got my last All-American for the day, I was happy,” he said. “They called us on the middle of the field for the podium call to take pictures. After that, I was just thinking about the NCAA one and winning that.”
Berry wanted to again run track for a Division I program.
And at the top of his list of potential destinations was a certain school fewer than 10 miles from his hometown of Durham, and more importantly just a short drive away from his daughter.
The return home
Berry had the times.
Both his personal records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes are fewer than a second off the 2013 national championship-winning times.
Berry also has the athleticism and the win-at-all-costs mindset necessary to compete. In his first ever 100-meter dash, he ran a 10.7.
But with only two years of running experience, he hasn’t yet refined his technique.
Still, top Division I track programs were salivating at the thought of securing an athlete with such a high ceiling.
Berry knew he wanted to attend a school in the southeast. So he emailed coaches at five programs in the region — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana State.
But Berry recalls only the excitement he gained after checking his inbox to see one particular message — a reply from UNC sprinting coach Steve Rubin.
Despite the interest he garnered from his dream school, track and field powerhouse LSU made its way into his final two choices along with UNC.
But then things clicked for Berry.
“I thought about if I go anywhere besides (UNC), it’d defeat the purpose of me going to Barton and leaving Hampton,” he said.
“That was the main thing, being close to Paityn. Because LSU, it’d be the same thing — I could only see her Christmas probably.
“She was a real big factor in everything.”
Berry’s first visit to Chapel Hill sealed the deal for both him and Rubin.
On that day, which he remembers all too well, Rubin not only got to meet his future sprinter, but was also greeted by a pint-sized visitor — whom he immediately recognized as Berry’s heart and inspiration.
“I got to kind of see Brien as a guy who’s not just a runner, not just a father. He’s both those things,” Rubin said.
“I think Paityn really keeps him humble. Paityn keeps him on point, keeps him on task, and I think that she grounds him in a lot of ways.
“I don’t want to say she defines him because he’s much more than just that, but I think that she definitely contributes a lot to the person he is.”
Like father, like daughter
After two colleges in two years, countless races and miles traveled, Berry has at last found a home in Chapel Hill — one close to his heart, Paityn.
And since becoming a Tar Heel, he’s been nothing short of open about his relationship with her, as all of his teammates and coaches have gotten to know both Berry and Paityn.
“I love it, personally. It definitely shows you his manhood at such a young age, having to raise a daughter when he’s still in college,” said senior sprinter and hurdler Devon Carter.
“He’s doing a good job of balancing it. He sees her as often as he can, and she’s a beautiful little girl.”
About a month shy of her second birthday, Paityn can say her ABC’s and count to 10.
And whenever he gets the chance, Berry brings her to campus where she shows off a set of skills she likely got from her father.
“She likes to run around. She always runs,” Berry said.
“She doesn’t walk anywhere anymore ever since she got her walking skills up. Whenever she goes, she’s always running.”
Though nearly two years ago, Berry was unable to be there when his daughter first opened her eyes, it hasn’t mattered.
Everything he has done since has been for her, from the choice to transfer to North Carolina to the races he’s run.
“She’s always going to come first,” he said, “over everything.”
Nothing has been able to break the bond the two have shared, which all began with how both entered into this world — weighing 7 pounds and 3 ounces and 19 inches long.
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