USATF Minnesota August Athletes of the Month

Mason Ferlic

Laura Utke

MENDOTA HEIGHTS – In his Falmouth debut, Minnesotan Mason Ferlic put together two great performances on back-to-back days, earning him USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month Award for the month of August. First, on Saturday, August 19th Ferlic placed 7th in a very deep field at the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile with a time of 4:05.82. Then on Sunday the 20th, the next day, Ferlic placed 6th at the legendary Falmouth Road Race in a time of 34:14 for the 7-mile distance. Over the years few athletes have been bold enough to attempt this double, let alone see the success Ferlic did with two top seven finishes.
 
Ferlic is a 2011 graduate of Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul, and was a 3-time Minnesota State Champion and 5-time All-State honoree in track & field, as well as a State Champion and 2-time All-State honoree in cross country. Ferlic was also the 2011 Minnesota Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year. While competing collegiately at the University of Michigan, Ferlic was a 5-time All-American in cross country and track & field, and was also the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. More recently, Ferlic finished 9th at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, and was 5th at last year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 3,000 meter steeplechase as well.
 
On August 5th-6th, Laura Utke, a 1999 graduate of Concordia College in Moorehead, Minnesota, won the Masters National Title for the Throws Pentathlon in the Women’s 40-44 age group at the 2017 USATF Masters Throws Championships in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning her the honor of USATF Minnesota’s August Athlete of the Month. A lifelong thrower and competitor, Utke is currently ranked #1 in the world in the Ultra Weight Pentathlon and #4 in the world in the Throws Pentathlon.
 
While competing as a Cobber, Utke was a two-time Division III All-American thrower in the hammer throw and the weight throw and was Concordia’s first MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Champion ever. She is also still the Cobber school record holder in the weight throw. Additionally, she was a 2-time Academic All-American while carrying a 3.85 GPA in Physical Education and Psychology.

Congratulations to Mason and Laura! 
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to mskuzara@csbsju.edu with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.

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