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DECEMBER 2019 29 cavalier profile RYAN GOETZ Second-Year • Tennis When second-year Ryan Goetz suffered a stress reaction to the fifth lumbar seg- ment (L-5) in his spine, he was sidelined from the 2018 indoor season until late April 2019. This year, though, he returned better than ever. "When I first came back, there was a thought I would reinjure myself," Goetz said. "I didn't want to make any move- ments that would hurt it as well as get- ting used to playing matches. I had to re- adjust to that and find ways to compete." Fast-forward to this October and the fourth-seeded Goetz captured the ITA Atlantic Regional singles championship, which featured a field of 256 players. As a result, he became the 10th player in program history to win that singles title. That was a step up from the previous year when he was the runner-up at the regionals before being sidelined by his back injury. "It definitely provided motivation for me," Goetz said. "Last year was my first year, so it helped me get my foot in the door. Being the runner-up, I wanted to win, but I didn't want to put pressure on myself so I had to keep that in mind. I felt confident in my ability on the tennis court and I just tried to enjoy myself." Just as impressive was the fact that Goetz advanced to the second round of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. "I thought it was a step in the right di- rection as far as my development was concerned," he said. "When I was there [at Newport Beach, Calif.], the compe- tition was really tough. It provided me with an opportunity to see where I stood playing against players from colleges with really good players." Goetz completed the fall season ranked No. 54 in the nation in singles. Coming out of high school, he was listed as the top-ranked recruit from New York and the No. 5 prospect in the nation by TennisRe- cruiting.net, which meant he was a hot commodity. "I was heavily recruited by a good amount of programs," Goetz said while discussing why he opted for Virginia. "UVA was closer to home. I loved the guys during my visit. The coaches are incredible, plus we had won a few national titles as a team." — Mike Scandura Photo courtesy UVA