Evan Hull, Class of 2019 - Maple Grove High School
What are all your personal records? What State Meet competitions have you been in, and what were your results?
My personal records in the 100m and the 200m are 10.78 and 21.81. I've competed in the State Meet since my sophomore year where I made it to the finals in both events and earned 6th for both events. My junior year I qualified for just the 100m and I earned 2nd in the finals.
How did you first get involved with track, and what other sports have you done?
I first got involved in track in 7th grade. My first sport was football, but I knew that in order to be faster for football, doing track was a must. I also do wrestling in the winter.
What is your favorite or most memorable competition you've ever been in?
The most memorable competition I've ever been in has to be the Maple Grove miracle minute game for obvious reasons. We were in the State quarterfinals against St. Michael-Albertville and down 27-10, and we scored 3 touchdowns in the last 59 seconds to win 29-27. I've never been part of a group of players with the resilience enough to literally play until the last whistle and never give up in the game like that group of guys did that night. And it was an honor to put the cherry on top and score the game winning touchdown.
We hear a lot nowadays about how beneficial it is for athletes to play multiple sports. How do you feel it has helped you to compete in three sports at the level you do?
The greatest thing about playing 3 sports is how the skills you develop in one sport translate to another. The mental toughness I've learned from wrestling has helped me be a more physical runner in football. The lateral quickness that I learned in football has helped me be a more agile wrestler. The acceleration and top end speed that I've developed in track has helped me tremendously in football- even with recruiting. I didn't play varsity football as a sophomore, so the only way I was able to get my name out there was on the track and because of the results I put up at the state track meet, more college coaches were interested in me as a player even though I had no film at the time.
Tell me a standout non-competition-related memory from your athletics career.
I don't have one memory in particular but memories like just hanging out with my 7 on 7 teammates on overnight trips in the hotel rooms. Just chilling and having a good time with teammates were the best times to me.
Who are some of your favorite athletes to compete against?
One of my favorite track guys to compete against has to be Nick Sharma from Mounds View. I've known him since sophomore year and we've continually raced each other at the Hamline Elite Meet and the State Meet. It's one of those relationships where we compete 100% whenever we're in the same race but want to see the other guy succeed when we're not racing each other.
Who are some people that have been most helpful to you in your athletic career, and how have they helped you?
The coaches that have worked most closely with me during training for each sport have been the most helpful to me. Troy Seubert, my wrestling coach, taught me about mental toughness and having a strong work ethic. Matt Lombardi, my football coach, taught me about how having the mentality of a champion can give you the winning edge. Nate Triplett, my sprints coach, has helped me tremendously in perfecting my start. Deventri Jordan, my trainer at GameFace, has really helped me with lifting and explosive training that has allowed me to excel in each of my sports.
Who might we find cheering for you at competitions?
The whole family. My mom, dad, step dad, grandma, aunt, and the siblings.
What is a challenge, or challenges, you have had to face as an athlete?
A lot of my challenges have been injuries and little tweaks throughout the season. The way I overcome them is to focus on recovery but still, especially if it's just a nagging injury, continuing to get better despite the injury whether that's doing everything that the trainer allows me to do or pushing through practice.
What are your main goals for this track season?
My goal is to be the State Champion in the 100m and the 200m dash.
What are you and your teammates looking forward to the most this year?
I'm looking forward to competing against the best in the state, as well as continuing to get better every week in practice.
Tell me about your post-graduation plans and goals.
I will be attending Northwestern University to play football and most likely study something in the realm of broadcasting. My goal is to be a starter by the end of my freshman year.
Do you have any rituals, routines, or superstitions either on or off the track?
My routine consists of a hot epsom salt bath and drinking a lot of beet juice; getting in the zone early.
When not doing anything athletics-related, what might we find you doing?
I would probably be playing piano or doing homework.
What advice would you give to younger athletes, or athletes just starting out in track (or football, for that matter)?
To young football players, I would say do track as early as you can. Being able to run fast and efficiently is extremely important to being a good football player, so if you can learn it now, you're ahead of the game. To young track kids, don't worry about the kid in the lane next to you. Focus on running your own race. It's not about winning, it's about running as fast you can and you can't do that if you're focused on somebody else. Funny thing is when you start to just focus on that, winning seems to happen by accident.
Tell me one bizarre fact about yourself.
One bizarre fact about myself is that one of my favorite foods is a peanut butter and butter sandwich. It became one of my favorites as a kid when we ran out of jelly. I didn't think this was an odd combination until somebody told me it was really weird. I still think they're delicious and I'm going to continue to eat them for lunch.
