Kayden Ryder '22 Recruiting Profile

Coming from a single-parent household and not having a lot of family around, I spent a lot of time with my mother at her office. I must say that this helped me develop a sense of work ethic and helped me understand the importance of working hard in order to grow and become better in what it might be that I would like to accomplish.

I originally became interested in track because I wanted to get better at football. However, I grew a passion for track. One of my friends asked me if I would join the cross country team as they did not have enough kids to make a team. So I joined and it continued onto indoor track. A big game-changer on my passion for track was when I missed qualifying for states that indoor season. Immediately I knew that I wanted to qualify for outdoor. From the 1st practice all the way until regions, I did everything I could to push myself to qualify. At regions, I qualified for states for the 800 during my freshman year. It made a huge difference for me and helped me realize how important track was to me.  The cross country season of my sophomore year helped me understand how being part of the track and cross country team has changed me. It helped me develop as a runner and as a person, I became a stronger leader, became a strong team captain, and mostly I learned how important dedication is. Track helped me realize how much of a team sport it truly is. I have played many "team" sports in my life, such as football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, but I have never felt as much a part of team as I have with track. I can't wait to continue my journey both academically and athletically as a student-athlete at the collegiate level.