The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK NC State junior men's swimmer Ryan Held had a fun back-to-school story to tell from this summer. Held teamed up with Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all-time, plus Nathan Adrian and Caeleb Dressel, to win the 400-meter freestyle relay at the Rio Olympics. Held swam the third leg in 47.73 seconds, and the U.S. won by 0.61 seconds with a time of 3:09.92. Held broke down in tears when the national anthem was played, and the U.S. flag was raised. Winning an Olympic gold medal capped off a terrific 2016 campaign for Held. Last March, he was part of NC State's na- tional champion 400 freestyle relay, and individually he finish fourth in the 100 freestyle, sev- enth in 50 freestyle and ninth in 200 freestyle to earn All-Amer- ica honors in each event. He also helped the 200-medley relay, 200-freestyle relay and 800-free- style relay earn All-America ac- colades. The latter two finished second in the country. Held, who is majoring in fish- eries, wildlife and conservation biology, recently took time with The Wolfpacker to talk about his Olympics experience and expec- tations for his junior season. How would you characterize what you went through with the Rio Olympics? "I went from just a really average college student, kind of nobody knows your name, and then a month later I am a rock star celebrity and everybody knows my name. Everyone now recognizes me and takes photos with me and wants my autograph. "I was on the beach, taking in the sun in tropical Rio, and then two weeks [later], I was on NC State's campus in a wildlife management class taking notes. Just the transition from there to here has been really fast and polar opposites." What was the actual race experience like? "After I finished [third leg], I just beelined it straight to the trash can where I was not on the camera. At international meets, you don't get behind the blocks. You have to go to the side of the pool. I was just barely off camera. "I was so tired. I swam myself to complete exhaus - tion. My hands were on my knees, and I was bent over. I was gasping for air on the deck. "I saw that Nathan [Adrian] had a half a body length lead. I was like, 'We are going to win it. We are going to win the gold medal.' "I just got this huge rush of energy and let out this loud scream, 'We just won!' I ran over back to Michael [Phelps] and Caeleb [Dressel] and gave them high fives." What were you thinking when you saw Michael Phelps swim his leg on the relay? "I was more like screaming at myself, 'Whatever you do, don't lose the lead. Just keep half a body length for Nathan [Adrian].' I knew if I could keep half a body length, Nathan would keep it and hold off the French. "When I dove in, the mind shut off. It was pure racing swimming mode." What does it mean to you that you are already inspiring the next generation of athletes? "It's so cool. Just two months ago, I was that kid look - ing up to my idols like Michael Phelps, Nathan Adrian and Florent Manaudou, a French swimmer. I was totally awed and inspired by them. "Now that I have this voice, this presence, people take my word as the truth. Before I could say you could do anything, and they'd be like, 'That is just Ryan. He is trying to be nice.' Now that I'm an Olympian, they take my word to be true." What are some of your future goals? "I would love to swim in Tokyo in 2020 [for the Olympics]. If the Olympics could get placed in L.A. [Los Angeles], I'd love to swim for 2024 in L.A. "Swimming in America, we'd have the stands packed with Americans." Does seeing some swimmers have great success in their 30s gave you a different perspective on your career? "I definitely think so. Seeing Anthony Ervin win the 50-meter freestyle at 35, that's a strong indicator that you can keep going. He also swam in the morning relay in the 4x100, and he put up the fastest split out of all four swimmers. It does kind of change my mindset. This could be a reality that I could go to multiple Olympics." Did you get to talk to former NC State swimmer Cullen Jones on being a gold medalist? "I haven't talked to Cullen since Olympic Trials after the 100. That was after I had made the team. He was swimming the 50, and I got knocked out of the 50 in the semi - finals. We just had busy schedules. "I want to start building a relationship with him. He has been there multiple times. We have the same background. I think he'd be a good mentoring figure for me." How much have you been think - ing about the business side of your sport? "A little bit. Obviously, I can't take en- dorsement deals as a college athlete, but I did talk a lot with Anthony Ervin and Na- than Adrian and Connor Jaeger, all swim- mers who have endorsement deals and sports agents. "We talked about what they liked and don't like, and really how to go about that process. Endorsement deals are a big part of professional swimming, especially if you want to go on to 2020." What has been the reaction walking around campus? "Most of the time, people will recognize me, but they won't say 'Hi,' to me. I found that out because one time I searched my name on Twitter, and it was, 'Oh my gosh, I just walked by Ryan Held.' There were 15 or 10 tweets like that. "Most of the time, I can go from point A to point B without being stopped. That is a nice thing, but it is nice to receive a little fame here and there." Speaking of Twitter, how many followers did you gain? "Before the Olympic Trials, I had roughly 700 follow - ers. Now, after everything, the Trials, the Games and the medal and podium, I have 10,400-plus followers. "On Instagram, I have 16,000. It's absolutely wild." What are your goals at NC State this sea- son? "Our team goals are to repeat as ACC champs — that will be the third time — to get top three at the NCAAs. "My personal goal is I want to win ACC Swimmer of the Year, and I want to get seven top three perfor - mances at the NCAA — in my three individuals and my four relays." — Jacey Zembal Getting To Know: Junior Swimmer Ryan Held Held was a member of Team USA's 400-meter freestyle relay that won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics this past summer. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS