Sophomore swimming sensation Ryan Held began his swimming career when he was just 8 years old because of his mother’s influence.
The Springfield, Illinois native only started because his brother was a swimmer, so his mom signed him up as well because it was convenient for her to drop both boys off at the same place. He kept swimming in the off season to stay in shape for soccer, which was his main sport at the time. Then, in seventh grade, he broke his leg playing soccer and swimming became his main sport.
“My favorite swimming memory is from my club team when I was a senior in high school,” Held said. “My relay won the YMCA and set the record, the national record in the 200 freestyle relay. That race is probably my most cherished memory because our facilities weren’t that great and we had a small team, but our team of four guys committed all season, really put in the effort and by the end, it just paid off, winning a national title.”
His journey to NC State is an interesting one, considering how far away he is from his hometown.
“I didn’t even know NC State existed before I was being recruited,” Held said with a laugh.
He mentioned that he was looking at Midwestern colleges like Notre Dame, Kentucky and Indiana. He had gotten an email from NC State but pushed it to the side, not really knowing anything about the swim program here. When Wolfpack swim coaches kept emailing him, Held decided to email them back, just to see where it would go.
“The coach immediately responded with this big huge email,” Held said. “I mean, he basically wrote me this book of an email telling why I should come to NC State.”
Held came for an official visit and loved it, but his decision came down to Notre Dame, Kentucky and NC State. His visit with Notre Dame seemed to have changed his views about going there.
“I didn’t have the trip I thought I would for Notre Dame,” Held said. “Maybe it was an act of God, but when I went, is was thunderstorming, windy and miserable. We went to watch a prestigious Notre Dame football game, but I hated every minute of it because the weather was so awful.”
However, his visit with Kentucky was a different story.
“I had a great time at Kentucky,” Held said. “It was probably the most fun trip I had, but they just didn’t have the team I was looking for. There, I would’ve been one of the stars of the swimming team, but you can’t win on just one person, you have to be a whole team.”
He really started taking an interest in NC State after the NCAA championships because of the impressive times the swimmers were getting and their rankings, which for him really sealed the deal.
“My whole career was just me and a bunch of football guys who joined the swim team for fun,” Held said. “We lost every meet, and I really wanted to be a part of a team that did well as a whole.”
NC State has a whole team of swimmers who were not only talented and as driven as Held, they could push him to that next level. He also said that the coaching staff at NC State really impacted his decision.
“The coaches here have definitely made me a smarter swimmer,” Held said. “In high school, I just worked my arms as fast as I could, which wastes a lot of energy. After being here, my strokes have gotten smoother and longer, propelling me forward just as fast, if not faster, with less effort.”
Held is very dedicated to his sport and works hard to be the best that he can be. He says what drives him is the competition.
“I cannot stand people beating me,” Held said. “If it’s not first, then it’s a failure. It sounds a bit bad when I say it out loud, but I always strive to be better than my competitors; out-train them, make smarter decisions than them, even eat better than them.”
All of his hard work has paid off, with him helping NC State win the ACC Championships and placing fourth overall in the NCAA Championship.
Right now, Held is on track to graduate in 2018, but believes that he will stay on and train as a pro until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“My ideal race in the Olympics would be the 100 freestyle,” Held said. “I just don’t have the speed yet for the 50 free and the 200 free is just slightly too long. The 100 free is like Goldilocks, perfect distance, perfect speed.”
This is the race that he will be training hard for over the next four years in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic tryouts. Besides working toward being an Olympic swimmer, Held’s dream after college is to earn a spot on a U.S. International swimming team. Held’s young career is just beginning, and he has the potential and competitive drive to make it to the big leagues.
