FIELD TWP- North Woods senior Evelyn Brodeen answered the call of the South last week, signing a letter of intent at the school to run cross-country and track next year for Truett-McConnell University, a private university in Cleveland, Ga. Located in the scenic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northeast Georgia, Truett-McConnell is a Division I NAIA school known for its robust athletics and Christian liberal arts education.
“I started looking at schools down south, because I’ve always kind of wanted to be down there. So I just put in some recruiting forms just for fun to kind of see what would happened,” Brodeen said. “The coach reached out to me right away. It’s really pretty, it’s in the mountains -- it’s like my ideal school. And I was able to get a pretty good scholarship, so financially it was a smart decision for me.”
Brodeen said she began running for fun as a youngster, and her mother, Alaine, also a runner, served as a role model for her. Brodeen said her enthusiasm for running amped up when she ran her first half-marathon when she was 13, a race she ran with her mother, who was recovering from chemotherapy for cancer at the time.
“That was really cool that she was able to go out and run a half,” Brodeen said. “It was me, my aunt, my grandma, and my mom, we all ran it, and I guess that kind of just inspired me.”
Cross-country came into the picture when the Brodeens moved to Orr in 2020 to take over the Island View Resort. That’s when she met Addison Burckhardt, a fellow runner who became not only a training partner but a fast friend.
“Addison definitely got me into it,” Brodeen said. “We just became friends right away and I started running. I was able to train with her and I had a team and a teammate right away.”
Dan Squires has been the resident North Woods assistant coach for the combined team with the South Ridge Panthers under Head Coach Jeremy Polson, and he talked about Brodeen’s development over the years.
“She started in eighth grade and just got better over time,” Squires said. “She was easy to work with, a hard worker, and a good person to be around. When Evelyn first came in eighth grade, Addison was our top runner. Over time, the last couple of years Evelyn became our top runner. They handled it very well. They were able to push each other and work together, and that just made them both better.”
Squires was particularly proud of Brodeen making it to state individually as a junior. She was sidelined with a hip injury for six weeks this year, but returned for sectionals to help the Panthers qualify for state as a team.
“It’s been fun to watch her progress from where she was as an eighth grader to making it to the stand and having that success over the years,” Squires said.
Brodeen’s performance and tenacity caught the attention of numerous college programs who offered her scholarships, but the Bears of Truett-McConnell won out, and Brodeen is looking forward to the opportunity to attend school with the team she runs for.
“I’m excited to be able to train with my actual team and get to know them and have good friendships,” Brodeen said. “It will definitely be different.”
In choosing cross-country, the multi-sport athlete is saying goodbye to two other activities, softball and hockey. Brodeen has been a mainstay at pitcher for the Grizzlies softball team since her freshman year but is still nursing that hip injury and may not be able to compete this season. She also played hockey for two seasons on the cooperative team with Hibbing.
“I’ve played softball my whole life,” Brodeen said. “But there’s just something about running that makes me feel really good and motivates me. It’s a good way to stay disciplined and it’s something you can do for your whole life. It’s sad because I do love softball, but running was the way to go.”
Meanwhile, her parents, Brett and Alaine, have come to terms with Evelyn heading off to Georgia, although they harbored hopes she might stay closer to home.
“Both Alaine and I graduated from Bethel University,” Brett said. “We were kind of obviously hoping she’d go there.”
“It’ll be hard without her at home at first,” Alaine added. “But I’m excited for her. There will be a lot of opportunities and the team travels all over the country, so it’ll be fun for her.”
When Brodeen starts at Truett-McConnell, she’ll have a leg up on most of the new students there. She’s not only graduating with a North Woods diploma, but will have an associate’s degree from Minnesota North College to her credit as well.
While she’s undecided at the moment on a specific career, Brodeen said she loves science and math and will likely to look at possible careers in sports medicine, possibly physical therapy, or another science-related field.