University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
Captain Q&A: Evan Ferlic
8/23/2018 1:09:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS – Earlier this week, redshirt junior Evan Ferlic was named team captain of the University of Minnesota men's cross country team for the 2018 season.
A native of Roseville, Minn., Ferlic posted personal records in three of his five races last season with the Maroon & Gold and factored into the team's score four times. He opened the year with a an eight-kilometer personal record of 25:08.0 at the IU Open and later improved that mark to 24:34.5 at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational. Ferlic closed out the year by running a 10-kilometer personal record of 29:59.61 at the NCAA Midwest Regional – a mark that ranks 11th all-time at the University of Minnesota.
The Mounds Park Academy alum is a four-time letter winner and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree – earning both accolades twice in cross country and twice in track.
GopherSports.com caught up with Ferlic on Wednesday to talk about this week's news and what he's looking forward to as captain of the Maroon & Gold.
First off, what does it mean to you to be named team captain heading into the 2018 cross country season?
It's a huge honor. To go from coming in as a walk-on to now being named captain this year is really meaningful to me. Coming out of high school, I don't know if I was really a Division I talent, but Plaz saw something in me. It was a big honor to just make the team. Then to be named captain a few years later is just unbelievable. It's going to be a great honor to lead the team this year.
Is it even more meaningful to you knowing that you were selected by your teammates?
Absolutely. It means they saw something in me as well. Hopefully I can be the strong leader that they expect me to be this year, and we can have a really good season.
We are just a few weeks away from the start of the season. What are you most looking forward to about the 2018 campaign?
We're a young team, so we want to make sure we are building for the future. We've got a deep team, and we are all pretty similar skill-wise. There's nobody way out in front of the others in terms of talent or ability, but that can be a good thing. We can all compete and push each other and have a real cohesive unit from top to bottom on the roster. We're all focused on having a successful season as a team and competing for a Big Ten title.
Let's talk about family connections to the Big Ten. One of your brothers went to Michigan, another went to Wisconsin and you are obviously here at Minnesota. Is there any sibling rivalry between you all?
As a Minnesota family, I'm the only loyal one. I think my parents appreciated that fact at least – it's nice to represent the home state and be so close to my hometown. We do give each other grief about which school is better, but we all know Minnesota is the best and Wisconsin is on the low end.
A native of Roseville, Minn., Ferlic posted personal records in three of his five races last season with the Maroon & Gold and factored into the team's score four times. He opened the year with a an eight-kilometer personal record of 25:08.0 at the IU Open and later improved that mark to 24:34.5 at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational. Ferlic closed out the year by running a 10-kilometer personal record of 29:59.61 at the NCAA Midwest Regional – a mark that ranks 11th all-time at the University of Minnesota.
The Mounds Park Academy alum is a four-time letter winner and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree – earning both accolades twice in cross country and twice in track.
GopherSports.com caught up with Ferlic on Wednesday to talk about this week's news and what he's looking forward to as captain of the Maroon & Gold.
First off, what does it mean to you to be named team captain heading into the 2018 cross country season?
It's a huge honor. To go from coming in as a walk-on to now being named captain this year is really meaningful to me. Coming out of high school, I don't know if I was really a Division I talent, but Plaz saw something in me. It was a big honor to just make the team. Then to be named captain a few years later is just unbelievable. It's going to be a great honor to lead the team this year.
Is it even more meaningful to you knowing that you were selected by your teammates?
Absolutely. It means they saw something in me as well. Hopefully I can be the strong leader that they expect me to be this year, and we can have a really good season.
We are just a few weeks away from the start of the season. What are you most looking forward to about the 2018 campaign?
We're a young team, so we want to make sure we are building for the future. We've got a deep team, and we are all pretty similar skill-wise. There's nobody way out in front of the others in terms of talent or ability, but that can be a good thing. We can all compete and push each other and have a real cohesive unit from top to bottom on the roster. We're all focused on having a successful season as a team and competing for a Big Ten title.
Let's talk about family connections to the Big Ten. One of your brothers went to Michigan, another went to Wisconsin and you are obviously here at Minnesota. Is there any sibling rivalry between you all?
As a Minnesota family, I'm the only loyal one. I think my parents appreciated that fact at least – it's nice to represent the home state and be so close to my hometown. We do give each other grief about which school is better, but we all know Minnesota is the best and Wisconsin is on the low end.
Support Men's Cross Country
Support the University of Minnesota Men's Cross Country program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
Follow Minnesota Men's Cross Country
Cinematic Recap: 2025 Griak Invitational
Monday, September 29
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Regional
Sunday, November 17
Oz Memorial Highlights
Sunday, September 01
Big Ten Championship Highlights
Tuesday, November 07