DeLAND, Fla. — When Ross Appolon first arrived at Stetson, becoming a team captain was still years away.

There were spots to earn, setbacks to overcome and plenty still to prove.

Now entering his fourth season with the Hatters, Appolon can look back at the player who first arrived in DeLand and see just how far he has come.

For the Montreal native, that journey has made being selected as a team captain for the 2026 season mean even more.

"After being here for four years, it's really the best thing," Appolon said. "I've grown up so much since I've been here. I have my relationship with the coaches, with the team. This program means so much to me that being a captain now is everything to me."

Over those four years, Stetson has become more than the place Appolon plays soccer. More than 1,400 miles from where he grew up in Montreal, he has built relationships and found another community in Central Florida.

"I love Montreal a lot because it's my hometown, but I love Florida because it's my second family here," Appolon said. "I have met so many new people. I think Florida is part of my identity."

On the field, Appolon has steadily grown into one of the Hatters' most dependable players. He made an immediate impact upon arriving in DeLand, earning ASUN All-Freshman Team honors in 2023 after appearing in 17 matches with 13 starts. Over his first three seasons, Appolon has appeared in 47 matches, made 36 starts and logged more than 3,100 minutes on the back line.

As a junior in 2025, Appolon started all 15 matches he appeared in and logged a team-high 1,258 minutes among Stetson field players. His career has also included helping the Hatters capture the 2024 ASUN Regular Season Championship and reach the conference tournament in each of his first three seasons.

His path to becoming a mainstay on the back line, however, wasn't always straightforward.

There were times Appolon played and times he didn't. He remembers earning his spot and losing it. He remembers the doubts and criticism along the way.

Rather than shy away from those experiences, the senior sees them as part of what shaped him into the player and leader he is today.

"I had to face critics and doubts all my life, but I'm somebody that never gives up and is always working hard," Appolon said. "I'm here for the others. I'm pushing the others, but you won't see me give up no matter what happens. I'll be there."

That same mentality is what Appolon wants to instill in the Hatters as their captain.

"The identity of this team, for me, is a strong team that never gives up," Appolon said. "We're relentless. No matter what happens, we're ready to win. We know how to win. We know how to manage games. We know how to go score goals. We're strong, aggressive. We're just a team that never backs down."

For Appolon, building that identity doesn't begin when the Hatters step onto the field on match day. It is established through the everyday details that come long before kickoff.

"It starts from training," Appolon said. "It starts from everything, the little stuff that we do in the locker room."

That approach extends to how Appolon views his role as captain. He wants to be remembered not simply for what he accomplished as a player, but for what he gave to the teammates around him.

It also gives him a different perspective when he thinks about the freshman who first arrived at Stetson.

"I think freshman Ross would really be proud because freshman Ross has been through so many ups and downs — playing, not playing, earning a spot, losing the spot," Appolon said. "I think now, seeing where I've been, seeing where I'm coming from and where I am now as a captain, I think he would be really proud."

If that younger version of himself could ask the senior captain one question, Appolon already knows what it would be.

"Did you do what you wanted to do? Did you give everything on the field? Did you give your all? Did you make everybody around you proud? My parents, my coaches, everybody that gave me a chance — did I show them that I deserved that chance?"

His answer is simple.

"I think that I would say yes."

There is still another chapter to write.

After three seasons of earning his place, Appolon now enters his fourth tasked with helping lead a Stetson team with its sights set on competing for an ASUN title.

"I'm excited for the season, to lead the team and hopefully win a championship at the end of the season," Appolon said.

That pursuit begins Aug. 20 when Appolon and the Hatters open the 2026 regular season on the road against SMU in Dallas. Stetson will play four of its first five matches away from home before a home-heavy September slate brings the Hatters back to the Athletic Training Center.

For Appolon, the upcoming season represents one final opportunity to add to a journey that has already taken him from a freshman fighting to earn his place to a senior entrusted with leading the Hatters.

And if the mentality of their captain is any indication, the Hatters won't be backing down.

Dominik Topolsky contributed to this story by conducting the interview with Ross Appolon.