Garrett Borgrud came to Madison College as part of an athletic legacy and ended up leaving a legacy of his own. A two-sport athlete growing up in Deerfield, Wisconsin, Garrett has been searching for the big moment and big stage.
After a successful high school career, Garrett faced a difficult decision to step away from the competitive side of basketball grow his game and his body. Following a redshirt year at Madison College, Garrett began to assert himself as the big man in the middle, averaging 9.2 points and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds as a freshman in 2010-2011. His 30 blocked shots that season are tied for the eighth most in a season in program history. The WolfPack went 16-15 that winter, which ended with a loss in the Region 4 Tournament Championship.
Garrett returned for his sophomore season more focused than ever and put together a year where he led the WolfPack with 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds a game, with 26 total blocked shots. The season even included a career game on February 22, 2012, against Harper College when he put together a 42-point, 16-rebound effort to lead Madison College to a 98-85 road win. The 42 points are tied for the third-highest scoring game in school history, while the rebounds are tied for fifth. For his efforts in 2011-2012, Garrett was named First Team All-North Central Community College Conference, First Team All-Region 4, and Honorable Mention NJCAA All-American.
At Madison College, Garrett currently ranks fourth in career blocks with 56, is 21
st on the all-time points list with 747, and sits 23
rd in rebounds all-time with 337. Garrett’s accomplishments, however, extended well beyond the court. A N4C Academic All-Conference honoree as a sophomore, he was named the District Board Sportsperson of the Year at the 2012 Athletic Banquet.
“Garrett is one of those special student-athletes that coaches love to work with and are lucky to be around. He had talent, skill, work ethic, leadership skills, made his team better, responded to coaching, and was fun to be around,” stated former men’s basketball coach and Hall of Fame member Scot Vesterdahl. “He came from an excellent high school program and was skilled, but needed time to physically develop. We sat down with Garrett and his parents and all decided a redshirt year would benefit him. He came to us 6’6 and 185 pounds, and left 6’9” and 240 pounds. He made us coaches look brilliant, but it wasn’t that at all. He worked hard in the weight room and the put the time in.”
After Madison College, Garrett took his game to Cardinal Stritch University, where he helped the Wolves to a pair of conference titles and NAIA National Tournament appearances. He finished his college career a drop-step layup shy of 1,400 points. A CCAC Scholar-Athlete recipient, he graduated with a degree in Sports Management. Garrett went on to work at JustAGame Fieldhouse and lent his basketball knowledge to Rockhurst University and his alma mater, Deerfield High School.
Coach Vesterdahl added: “There are two things that make me extremely proud of Garrett. First, his continuing relationship with Gary “Big Dog” Breneman. They have a special bond that will never be broke, and as Gary might say, ‘Yes, that’s correct!’ And second, he is giving back to the young people in his community by being a coach, teacher, mentor, and role model. It is a special calling that he has answered, like much of the Borgrud family.”
Garrett's mother,
Tricia, was inducted into the Madison College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000, while his uncles,
Gary and
David, were inducted in 1986 and 1997, respectively.
When asked about his time at Madison College, Garrett had the following to say:
- "My time at Madison College was rewarding in so many ways. The lifelong friendships with teammates and coaches is what I cherish most from my time here. There are no accolades or statistics that come close in comparison."
- "Coach Vesterdahl was like a second father figure to me. I am forever grateful for what he taught me about the game of basketball and the game of life."
- "I had a lot of friends at Madison College, but Big Dog was my best buddy. To this day whenever I see him, it's like nothing has changed. Head Butts are still in high demand."
- "Madison College truly feels like home."
