The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/73006
F BY TIM PEELER or a guy whose middle name is Walker, NC State junior Ryan Hill was born to run. And he was bound to run for the Wolfpack. ■ CO-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR The stringy runner from Hickory, N.C., has earned seven All-America honors, won eight ACC championships and set four school records during his highly successful cross country and track and field careers. He also had a very good showing at the recent U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, ad- vancing to the finals of the men's 5,000 me- ters. Hill was the top collegian, finishing fifth in Eugene, Ore., with a time of 13:27.49, breaking his own school record by more than four seconds. Hill's evolution from an accomplished prep runner to a world-class champion is nearly complete. He finished his cross coun- try career last fall by earning his third con- secutive All-America certificate and lead- ing the Wolfpack to ACC and NCAA East Regional championships, and a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He graduated with a degree in sports man- agement in May and a few weeks later was third in the men's 1,500 meters at the NCAA Championships, the best finish in that event in school history. For his accomplishments this season, Hill, along with Carlos Rodon, was named The Wolfpacker's Co-Athlete of the Year. Such success is what the product of Hick- ory (N.C.) High School had in mind four years ago when he chose NC State over Vir- ginia and Louisville, two schools that had a slight chance to lure Hill away from his childhood favorite Wolfpack. In the end, Hill went with his heart. He was born in Raleigh just after his mother, Ruthie, earned her master's degree from NC State after doing her undergraduate studies at Meredith College. It was a plus that the Wolfpack had one of the nation's most successful coaches in Rol- lie Geiger and a nationally competitive cross country team. "It was good that the school I loved had a great program in what I was best at," Hill said. Though he has exhausted his cross coun- try eligibility and won't be available to run for the team in the fall, he still has one year of eligibility remaining in both indoor and outdoor track. "Ryan continues to grow and improve on Hill earned All-America honors in cross coun- try, indoor track and outdoor track during the past school year. PHOTO BY ROB KINNAN/THEACC.COM the track," Geiger said. "He's established himself as one of the premiere distance run- ners in the nation and the world. "He'll come back next year and be in posi- tion to win national championships." That's about the only thing Hill has yet to accomplish in his Wolfpack career. Geiger would have a hard time coming up with a more accomplished men's run- ner in his tenure as NC State head coach, which spans more than three decades and includes All-Americans, Olympians and world champions. Hill trains nearly 90 miles a week, which makes him naturally good at the long dis- tance races. But he's also fast enough to run the mid-distance events. In February in runner-up Miles Batty of Brigham Young to finish third and earn the second first-team All-America award of his career. Even though Hill said he ran the 1,500 meters for fun, it was a carefully calculated plan to get him prepared for the Olympic Trials in the 5,000 meters. The shorter race not only saved his legs, but it also helped him get used to running semifinal and final races in the span of a few days. In the 5,000 meters, the NCAA runs its Ryan Hill Is One Of The Best Runners In NC State History THE PACK PACING Blacksburg, Va., he became the first runner in NC State history to break the four-minute mile, topping a school record in that event that had stood for nearly 40 years. That inspired him to train for the 1,500 meters in the outdoor season, even though he had earned All-America honors as a fresh- man in the outdoor 5,000 meters and was twice an All-American in the indoor 3,000 meters. "It was good that the school I loved had a great program in what I was best at." ■ Hill "For me, the 1,500 meters is the most entertaining event," Hill said. "It's a race that I enjoy watching and I enjoy running. It's a race you can wait around until the end, and at the end you really pour it on. It can be anyone's race." It certainly was in the finals of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, in June. After posting the best time in the two preliminary heats, Hill was at the back of pack of a dozen runners in the finals. With 800 meters to go, he broke to the outside in a final sprint to the finish line. He came up a few meters short in his pur- suit of winner Andrew Bayer of Indiana and "Running the 1,500 meters was fun, but it also helped get me ready for the Olympic Trials," Hill said. "I think it helped me do well there." Through the years, Hill has become a worldly runner, going against international competition at NCAA events and running in world-class races. He sat out of indoor and outdoor track his first year, just after winning the 2008 ACC Cross Country Rookie of the Year Award. That allowed him to concen- trate on running in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan, where he finished 62nd. Even though he was disappointed in that finish, it gave him confidence that eventually led him to an ACC cross country champion- ship, two ACC indoor distance medley relay titles and a slew of individual track titles in the 1,500 meters, the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters. Now that he has graduated, Hill plans to do some traveling this summer. He and for- mer teammate Sandy Roberts are headed to Belgium for 34 days this summer to run in five international races. He'll continue train- ing through the fall, even though he won't be eligible to compete. Next spring, though, Hill plans to be back in his NC State uniform, running for more records and championships. ■ You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu. JULY 2012 ■ 117 semifinal at the regional preliminary meet two weeks prior to the championship meet. In the 1,500 meters, the semifinals are on the second day of the championship meet and the finals are two days later on the final day of competition.