Runners approach the line, get set, and wait for the gun to fire. As soon as the sound of the shot reaches their ears, the athletes race along the track, sprinting and launching themselves over hurdles. After senior Ryan Kyle clears the first one, he’s off, meters ahead of the other runners.
Kyle committed to the University of Rhode Island (URI) at the beginning of his senior year. After originally looking at other colleges, he decided that URI was the best fit for him due to its competitive Division 1 team and active campus. Kyle’s commitment journey began when he reached out to URI coaches during his junior year.
According to Kyle, when he started running for his middle school track team, he only viewed the commitment as a way to stay fit. However, he ended up loving the sport and stuck with it throughout high school.
“I did [track] in middle school just to stay in shape for football and soccer, and then I stuck with it through high school and enjoyed it, so I just kept doing it,” Kyle said.
Kyle originally thought he would play football in college, but during his junior year, he tried hurdles for the first time and, with the encouragement of his coach and P.E. teacher William Meuse, he decided he wanted to pursue it at the collegiate level.
Meuse has been working with Kyle for the past three years and admires how hard he has worked to achieve his goals and how much Kyle puts into practice day in and day out.
“[His work ethic] is kind of unmatched to what I’ve seen and what I’ve come across in my long career as a track coach […] he’ll do anything for his teammates and for his coaches,” Meuse said.
Kyle had previously looked at Northeastern University and University of Massachusetts Amherst, but eventually decided that URI was the best fit for him. He enjoyed the campus, which he first visited in the summer going into his senior year, and his feelings were only reinforced during the official tours he took in the fall. Kyle enjoyed the track program and the winning culture of URI, feeling like it was a good place to compete and grow as an athlete.
“I started reaching out to coaches my junior year and then kept them up to date throughout my season, and then I took some unofficial visits over the summer going into my senior season, and then official visits in the fall. After I finished my official visits, I was able to call the coaches and let them all know what my decision was and where I was going,” Kyle said.
According to Kyle, he feels ready to embrace his new team and the upcoming season at URI. Kyle’s confidence about his future collegiate career stems from his deep passion and enjoyment of the sport, which has kept him committed through each difficult year.
“You have to love it. That’s definite. It’s not like high school. It’s basically a job when you get to college, and I haven’t even gotten there yet. You definitely have to love the sport if you want to do it at that high of a level,” Kyle said. “[You] have to be determined through high school. But your senior year accolades and times, at least for track, still count just as much as your junior year or sophomore year, especially at the end.”
