Haverford High Senior Aiming For Big Year

is set now. The Haverford High School senior state-champion has his college destination set—Penn State. He placed second at the 18-and-under junior nationals in the 100-yard backstroke in Austin, Tex., the weekend of December 9-11.

To top it all off, Ryan heard on Tuesday night, Dec. 20, that he’s among five finalists across the country for high school Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.

“It’s definitely a big lift to know where I’m going to college, I’ve been stressing so much on where to go,” Ryan said. “Penn State was more of a back up school for me. That changed when I took a trip up there and I loved it. Penn State is looking to turn out Olympic-level swimmers."

The 6-foot-6 Ryan choose Penn State over Auburn and Tennessee. He sees himself as part of something growing there at State College. The Nittany Lions have the smallest and oldest pool in the Big 10 Conference. Penn State coach John Hargis is working to revamp the program, starting with stellar swimmers like Ryan. Penn State will get a new pool in a few years, when Ryan will be a sophomore at Penn State.

“I feel awesome about this, I took a trip back up there and their freshman class is absolutely ridiculous; they have a steady program and they’re going to be very good,” Ryan said. “My recruiting class is top 10 in the NCAA. In the Big 10, you have Michigan and Indiana, and they’re traditional Big 10 winners. I don’t think Penn State has won a Big 10 title in swimming. Hopefully, we can change that.

“I didn’t feel comfortable with Auburn. The coach there didn’t approach me the way the other coaches did. The Tennessee coach was great, but I felt Penn State was more a place for me. Penn State is closer to home and that played a big factor. I was looking to get something for life after swimming. Penn State has a lot of connections to other areas. There are a lot of connections to think about later in life.”

With his college choice settled, Ryan is in a great position. But he does face one major dilemma: Ryan blossomed his sophomore year, winning the state title in the 100 backstroke, then returned last year to win the 200 freestyle state title his junior year. He returns this year as the state’s best—without question. His challenge will be challenging himself, since there may not be another swimmer close to him.

“I have to work my butt off,” Ryan said. “I want people to challenge me. It makes me better and the person challenging me that much better. It doesn’t matter who’s out there. I have to push myself and push myself to be a better swimmer, improve my technique and concentrating more and holding out the speed and looking to get a good time.”