Ryland Parker '24 Recruiting Profile

The sport of wrestling has given me so many great opportunities to not only compeye but to also learn a lot about myself. The desire to keep striving to become the best wrestler I can be on and off the mat has been a gift just in itself. My 8th grade year was nothing short of amazing. I set my goal that year to make it to the state tournament and I did. I took third place home that year but the following year (my freshman) year really taught  me about mental toughness and preservation.  The first few weeks of my freshman season I had a nagging Achilles tendon issue that prevented me from competing. I went from doctor to doctor to trying to figure out what was going on. The doctor at MUSC could not figure out what the issue was, and one  of them even went as far as to tell me I might have to just give up athletics all together, becuase they just had didn’t have any answers for me.  I was devastated and my mother insisted we would not stop trying to find answers so I wouldn’t  have to give up what I loved to do. I was seen at Duke University where they figured out I have an very very light case of enthitis (which is an autoimmune disorder thar effects connective tissues). They  started me on an anti-inflammatory medicine and l researched a fantastic therapy called Graston therapy. The tendon therapy has been very sucessful in my recovery and Dailey     therapy.  I was able to compete my sophomore year. My high school team won our first state title in school history. I knew I was behind from the missing time from my freshman year. I worked on the off season with a very knowledgeable coach that moved to my state from PA. We had practices thru out the week and went to many off season tournaments. I am gearing up for my Junior year with a lot of goals for this season. I learned to NEVER to  give up and NEVER let someone tell you that you can’t do something you really want to do. I am an incredibly hard worker and a great teammate. I am willing to do what it takes for not only myself but my teammates and coaches as well. I set my goals and work hard everyday to achieve them. I look forward to the next level in my career.