University of St. Thomas Athletics
The pride of Barney, N.D., hurdles all challenges
12/15/2020 4:39:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in an occasional series on Tommiesports.com celebrating the balance and diverse interests of St. Thomas student-athletes.
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It's fitting that St. Thomas sophomore hurdler-jumper Evan Braaten aspires to compete in what's considered the most demanding events in college track and field – the heptathlon and decathlon.
Growing up on a North Dakota farm, Braaten started building his unique entrepreneurial, academic, and athletic career in high school.
And he hasn't slowed down during his first 15 months as a college student here in St. Paul.
Baseball great Pete Rose earned the nickname "Charlie Hustle" for his on-field energy. Braaten could be called "Charlie Side Hustle" for juggling his track and field passion with a deep and impressive resume on his academic side:
- Evan has worked the last three years as an internet content creator/influencer for major brands that include Mountain Dew, Hello Fresh, Pottery Barn Teen, Fossil and Abercrombie and Fitch. He contributes photography, video and social media messaging, and that freelance income covers the cost of his St. Thomas tuition. Evan leverages his platforms to help brands reach their target demographic. He has more than 35,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok.
- Evan and Tommie teammate Erik Anderson recently placed second in a St. Thomas campus real estate competition with their idea for an app to help people better navigate the sub-leasing process.
- Evan and his older sister Abby -- a graduate student at Creighton University -- own a four-plex in Omaha as they start their real estate business. They are renovating their property to create three AirBNB rentals plus one unit as long-term rental.
- Evan also runs a small photography business. He shoots weddings and high school senior packages as well as families and couples. Evan has worked with over 80 clients over the past three years.
The Dean's List student here is an Entrepreneurship major while building a minor in health care. Braaten is averaging 18 credits a semester while on pace to graduate here in just three years.
Impressive for a young man who initially was prepared for a career in dentistry and planned to attend a different university. Once he considered St. Thomas late during his senior year of high school, he learned more about the university's strong entrepreneurship program. That fact, along with an opportunity to compete in track and field, helped him decide to become a Tommie.
Solid Roots
Braaten was born and raised in Barney, N.D., population 47. He had just 16 students in his graduating class at Wyndmere High School. He said that growing up working on the family farm provided great life lessons and helped him learn skills in financial management.
Back in 2017 he didn't set out to become an internet content wizard. He was simply helping a friend by taking photos for her when he learned that there was a demand for teenagers to grow their social media following to work with brands.
"Sometimes businesses reach out to me, sometimes I will reach out to them," he said. "I provide them images. I shoot content. I film the stories. I post information about them on my social media accounts."
"The social media industry can be tough to break into. There's no formal training in schools. I reached out and contacted a lot of young people working in the field and was fortunate to connect with one of them who shared a lot of tips and ideas.
"I love doing things creatively. I enjoy working on campaigns to find the best strategies for business to reach their target audiences, and also using analytics to understand company's brands."
Braaten doesn't have an exact dream job or role for the long-term. He sees himself possibly starting out in medical sales while also expanding his real-estate investments. He explained that he'd eventually like to be self employed; be a contributor in both strategic and creative areas; and be able to travel in his job.
"I want to wake up and be energized about something new every day," he said.
Good Company
In track and field, the hurdle events were his specialty in high school. He also had experience with the high jump and long jump and even some exposure to the 400 and 200 meters.
Tommie coach Steve Mathre saw versatility, work ethic and toughness in Braaten, so he pushed him to try the muiti-event as a freshman in the 2020 indoor season.
The Toms had five multi athletes competing indoors, and four placed in the top six at the MIAC championship meet to help continue a long streak of team crowns. Evan Teynor placed first; Jordan Johnson took fourth; Tyler Adle placed fifth; and Braaten finished sixth. The 2020 outdoor season was called off due to Covid.
"I really like training and competing with the multis," he said. "It's a small group, almost like a family. We spend every day with each other. I like the training process, we don't do the same thing every day. It's nice to switch it up, as we might focus on the shot put one day, or the high jump or the hurdles the next day."
Mathre said Braaten has already opened many doors on his quest for a successful post-college career.
"Evan is a very cerebral and calculated athlete in his approach to the sport," Mathre said. "As in life, he plans out and charts his course for athletic success. Evan brings a quiet confidence to the multi-event group and is very well respected by his teammates and coaches. We appreciate greatly his many contributions."
Players Mentioned
