Ryan, en route to yet another first place finish. Justin Beck
Marisa Ryan finished 123rd out of 253 at NCAAs. Justin BeckBoston University senior Marisa Ryan was only 11-years-old when she first heard her calling. As a child growing up in Farmington, Conn., she dabbled in many different sports, but it wasn’t until a fifth grade gym class that she realized her love for running.
“I found out I could run sort of fast in the fifth grade when we had to run the mile for fitness,” Ryan said. “Unfortunately, my middle school didn’t have a team, so I didn’t start running on a team until high school.”
Little did she know that 11 years after she discovered her talent, her fondness for running would lead to a trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Ryan, who qualified for her first NCAA Championship appearance with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA regional competition, was the 123rd runner out of 253 to cross the finish line at the national event in Terre Haute, Ind. The race Monday afternoon featured muddy conditions, which may have played a part in the CAS senior’s time of 22:19.8. According to the pre-med student, the experience was fun, but the course certainly didn’t play to her strengths.
“It was an awesome opportunity but probably not my best race of the season,” Ryan said. “[The course] was really muddy. Having to deal with the elements made it a true cross country experience, and it was cool being in Indiana in the middle of nowhere on a course made specifically for cross country.”
BU cross country coach Bruce Lehane acknowledged the extremely impressive competition at the event but also said ground conditions probably affected the outcome.
“The course was very wet and that played to some people’s strength, but it doesn’t particularly play to her strength,” Lehane said. “I was happy to see her make it as a senior. It’s a pretty difficult thing to do and we were happy that she had a chance to go out and compete.”
In her four years on the cross country team, Ryan balanced a heavy workload and a rigorous training schedule. Unknown to most, she is the first student to take part in BU’s seven-year medical program and also compete in two sports, also including indoor track. Ryan said, at first, many people doubted her ability to balance running and academics.
And how did she respond to this?
Ryan maintained four successful years in the classroom and on the course.
“My first three years, I was taking liberal arts classes, and this year, I started focusing on medical school. I love it,” Ryan said. “It’s definitely possible to do, and it really helped me work on my time management.”
With her four years of cross country eligibility completed, Ryan already feels uneasy about the void in her life that she will face next fall.
“I really love the team. [My teammates] are some of my closest friends,” Ryan said. “I know a lot of people think [cross country] is an individual sport, but to me it’s more of a team sport. It’s so much more fun competing with a team and training with a team. Competing at Nationals, I realized that it’s really easy to slow down when you’re running just by yourself, but when your teammates are running with you, it’s a lot more encouraging.”
Lehane will look to fill the void left by Ryan next year. Ryan was a valuable contributor to a 2006 Terriers squad that took first at the Ted Owen Invitational, the New England Championships and the America East Championships. She captured first-place honors in the first two events and finished second at the America East Championships.
“We carry on the best we can,” Lehane said. “I think [BU] tends to attract good athletes, but I don’t know if they will quite fill her shoes. When you have a quality performer like Marisa, it helps in the next recruiting cycle. Talking about someone like Marisa, who is successful academically as well as athletically, tends to get people to consider BU.
“She’s had to balance an intense academic load and her athletics,” Lehane continued. “The impressive thing about Marisa is that she does both at a very high level. Many times when athletes have as much success as Marisa has, they are often self-centered and one-dimensional.”
In the upcoming months, Ryan will once again don the BU jersey, only this time for the indoor track team. Ryan will continue to run long distances, mainly focusing on the 3000-meter run, and will also compete in the mile: One last go-around in the scarlet and white to help make her 11-year-long passion worth her time.
