June 15, 2021
With an older brother considered one of Minnesota’s most accomplished distance runners in recent memory, Evan Ferlic had some big shoes to fill. But with a list of accolades that looks like his brother Mason’s, Ferlic has proven he is up for the challenge.
Ferlic earned numerous all-conference and all-state honors, team MVP awards, multiple captainships and varsity letters in cross country running, Nordic skiing and track and field. But his two most important accomplishments both came as part of the team.
Ferlic played a critical role in leading the boys cross country team to a runner up finish at the 2013 state meet, their best finish ever. “This was a true team effort, since our top four runners were very close to each other in most of our races that season,” said MPA cross country coach Dan Ethier. “Evan’s contribution was critical. We couldn’t have accomplished this without him.” Ferlic’s success in cross country set the stage for an even more memorable track and field season.
Ferlic’s most cherished memory came that season, when in the spring, he anchored the Panthers’ 4x800m relay team to the class A state championship. With a time of 8:04.72, they ran faster than any other team in Minnesota class A track and field the entire season. Ferlic’s three relay teammates were his two close friends Kethan Dahlberg and Nick Gardner, and his brother Nolan. “Every race brought us all closer together, but the excitement of the season really culminated with the state meet,” recalls Ferlic.
He remembers vividly the feeling of winning the state championship. “Kethan started us off strong and held a good pace getting us swiftly to the front. He then handed off to Nick who was able to find his strength and hold on to the leaders. Nick then handed off to Nolan, who, through a Herculean effort, took the lead right before handing the baton to me. Getting the baton in first place and having to blindly maintain that lead for my two lap anchor leg was the exact scenario that had made me the most nervous. But there was no need to be nervous, without ever looking back I was able to extend our lead substantially and bring home the coveted state title for the team.”
Ferlic’s elation came after years of hard work and dedication, all sustained with the support of teammates and coaches at his side. “Crossing the finish line and turning around to see everyone’s excitement was the best reward I could have asked for,” says Ferlic. “Those fond memories will live with me forever.”
In addition to being part of the school record 4x800m team, Ferlic finished his career for the Panthers with the third best mark in school history in the 800m and 3200m, the second best in the 1600m, and part of another school record in the 4x1600m relay. He is also fourth all-time in cross country with a 5K personal best of 16:25.
For his athletic accolades, Ferlic won the 2015 MPA Panther Award. But it wasn’t just athletics where he succeeded. A strong academician like his brothers before him, he was inducted into the National Honor Society in 2015 and won the Lois Williams science department scholarship award.
Following his success at MPA, Ferlic chose to compete collegiately in both cross country and track and field for the University of Minnesota of the Big Ten Conference (older brother Mason chose conference rival Michigan).
After redshirting as a true freshman, he helped lead the Gophers to a top four finish at the Big Ten cross country championships in 2016 as a redshirt freshman, running a personal best in the 8K race and placing 39th. He also ran in the 2016 NCAA Midwest regional and earned a varsity letter in cross country for his efforts. Ferlic was named an academic all-Big Ten honoree in 2016 and 2018. As a redshirt sophomore, in 2017, he was honored with Minnesota men’s cross country’s Big Ten sportsmanship award. He also helped lead the Gophers to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional in Ames, IA, finishing 37th out of 194 runners.
Ferlic bettered that in the 2018 cross country season, scoring for the Gophers in all five meets he competed in and recording a pair of top ten finishes. He earned a new personal best of 24:06.8 for at 8K at the Big Ten championships, finishing 16th overall, and closed out the season by finishing 24th at the NCAA Midwest regional, running 31:30.3 for 10K and earning all-region honors.
In the 2018-2019 season, Ferlic was named team captain for the Gopher’s cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field teams. “Evan is going to do a terrific job this season as our captain. He’s a great communicator and a great teammate, and he has a strong bond with everyone in our program,” said head coach Steve Plasencia, upon Ferlic being named captain. “As a competitor, Evan has really progressed nicely in his development, and he’s only getting better.”
In the end, Ferlic was a USTFCCCA all-academic team honoree twice and an academic all-Big Ten honoree eight times, lettering four times in cross country and four times in track and field. His collegiate personal bests include a 3:52.15 in the 1500m, a 4:09.02 mile, 8:09.89 in the 3000m, 14:08.86 in the 5000m, 24:06.8 in the 8000m (cross country), and 29:59.61 in the 10,000m (cross country).
Ferlic was well prepared for the rigors of competing in cross country and track and field at the college level. “The transition from prep runner to a division I runner at the University of Minnesota was the smoothest it could have been. I knew what to expect and trusted that I had been prepared well for a successful collegiate career. MPA has excellent academics and athletics that prepared me for the immense challenges that come with being a division I athlete.”
In particular, Ferlic relishes the excellent coaching he received at MPA. About cross country Coach Dan Ethier, Ferlic remembers, “Mr. Ethier is easily one of the best cross country coaches in the state of Minnesota. He gives equal support and attention to each athlete, treating the youngest and least experienced runners with as much attention he gave me and other more experience athletes throughout my career at MPA. No other coach is this involved with his athletes, he wants to see everyone succeed.”
About track and field Coach Bev Docherty, “Mrs. Docherty is the track and field coach, and person, everyone deserves to have in their life at some point. She has been and still is, one of the most supportive people that I surround myself with. If I had a bad race she would be there to guide me through the hardship, if I had a good race she would be there absolutely beaming with pride and joy. She is the epitome of what a good coach should be, and she has years of experience to back it up, having run in six Olympic trials marathon races.”
Ferlic graduated with a degree in economics at Minnesota and is now a business development representative at Northrop Grumman.
