His mom was a high school sprinter. His dad was an 800-meter runner. He’s more of the five-mile type.

While Bryce Ruiz said he doesn’t have much quickness or short-distance speed, the lone senior on the men’s cross country squad does have endurance.

He said he, unlike his parents, is a long-distance runner. He learned he couldn’t follow the path of his family early on.

“My mom was a sprinter, and my dad was an 800-meter runner,” Ruiz said. “But for some reason, I learned from the start that my finishing kick in racing is the worst thing ever.”

His dad, Brent Ruiz, ran in college, much like his son. Brent went to Doane College, a small private university in Crete, Neb., with fewer than 3,000 students.

“He was a fast guy, more middle-distance, 800-meter,” Bryce said. “He ran a 1:47 for the 800-meter, which is something I could never do.”

According to Ruiz, his mom was no walkover either. He said even though she was only a runner in high school, “she could run with the best.”

Growing up, Ruiz said he thought about other sports. He said his parents never forced him in any direction, but they knew running was the sport at which he could excel. But as for who brought up the idea of running, he immediately pointed to his father.

“My dad, mainly. He was big into running. He ran in college. He thought I would be good at it. I was a skinny kid — it made sense because I tried to play football and kids beat me up,” Ruiz said jokingly. “So I stuck to running.”

And as soon as Ruiz made the decision to run, his dad knew exactly what to do.

“He was involved in the workouts,” Ruiz said. “And when I decided I wanted to do running, he started talking to people, figuring out what would be the best way to progress.”

So Ruiz would start running competitively early on. He said he had been running for “as long as he could remember,” but he got his chance to run more in middle school.

Unlike many middle schools, Ruiz’s school had a cross-country team. He said it was great to have a team in middle school, something he said played a part in his success.

From there, he continued to run in high school — his dad by his side for every moment.

“He was always an active supporter in everything I did,” Ruiz said.

He said his mom took a different approach. He said with his dad’s enthusiasm, his mom had more of a calming effect.

“She mostly stayed back,” Ruiz said. “She was the classic mom. She would say, ‘No matter what happens, I love you.’ I guess she just had to balance out my dad because he was so involved.”

With both parents supporting him, coaches and others started to take note of Ruiz. He said people started to tell him running could be more than a hobby.

As time passed in high school, people mentioned to him the idea of running in college.

“Throughout high school, people keep telling me, ‘Keep doing this, and you can go to a college and have it paid for,'” Ruiz said. “At least be on a team. That is pretty good.”

The runner, from Williamsburg, Va., started hearing from local schools like Virginia, Virginia Tech and Richmond. Then the number of contacts started to expand, including Georgetown, Notre Dame and “a couple other schools.”

But during his senior year, N.C. State started to show interest in Ruiz. He said he didn’t know much about the school at first. But he said he quickly learned after meeting coach Rollie Geiger.

“Coach Geiger, the big guy, started talking to me,” Ruiz said. “Once that guy talks to you, you’re fixed. He’s such a dynamic guy. Everything he says, you know he knows his stuff.”

Ruiz said Geiger didn’t mention a lot about the team’s success — only because there was no need to do so.

“It wasn’t something he had to tell you,” Ruiz said. “Once you looked into the school, you realize they dominate the ACC — it’s a dynasty.”

Fast-forward six years later, and Ruiz is in his final year for the Wolfpack.

He is trying to finish up his two majors, industrial engineering and industrial design. He also has set elevated goals for his team this season — a top-five finish at the NCAA Championships.

Ruiz already has an 11th-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational this season in an event in which a then-unranked State team took first place, beating out seven ranked teams. The Pack is now ranked No. 9 in the nation.

But without question, his dad is still there watching every move, this time with a more hands-off approach.

“He knows I need to be more self-motivated now,” Ruiz said. “I have to trust the program, trust the coach, trust my teammates. He’s more distant with it now, but he is always there.”

Knowing he is the only senior on the team is something Ruiz said is tough. He said he treats the team like family, his second family.

“It’s tough knowing that I won’t be back [because it’s my] last year,” Ruiz said. “It’s like family — it’s like you’re going off to do your own thing and leaving it to these guys to keep up the tradition. You just got to hope they are ready to go.”