Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information

Rachel Ryan excels performing on the big stage.

The Westfield State junior music major is an accomplished singer, a track and field conference champion, and a standout for the championship Owl volleyball team.

In addition to her work ethic and passion for athletics - she competes and practices during the entire academic year in three sports – and a demanding academic major that requires her to attend classes more than 30 hours per week, Ryan also shines as a classmate and teammate.

Her demeanor gets her through her long days.

“Rachel is very easy going and always laughing. She is liked by all of her teammates and the first one to congratulate someone after an event. She even cheers me on,” said Westfield track and field head coach Sean O’Brien.

Ryan grew up in Westborough, Mass., where she became an athlete at a young age. She played soccer, softball, basketball, and was even a youth cheerleader for 10 years, which eventually led her to her career as a volleyball player.

“At my high school if you didn’t play sports or weren’t into some sort of music field, you were considered weird. It was really out of the norm to not be involved,” said Ryan.

As a high school freshman, Ryan had never played volleyball before and did not join the team right away; however, she had a brief stint with cheerleading. The freshman tried out for the cheerleading team and was pressured to make a commitment to the squad, when she realized she could apply her same strength and passion from cheerleading to volleyball.

Ryan, along with Westfield State, is happy she chose volleyball.

Like many young high school athletes, Ryan enjoyed the success and self-esteem she obtained from athletics. However, she had another passion and it was in the classroom - music. After that initial volleyball season, Ryan began track and field to stay in shape. But she quit basketball in order to perform in musicals, where she starred in “Guys and Dolls” and “Pirates in Penzance”.

After graduating high school, Ryan chose to attend Westfield State over two other colleges.

“Westfield State was my top choice and I wanted to go somewhere where I could play volleyball and study music. The Woodward Center is a nice (athletic) facility and the professors are enthusiastic to help you succeed and work one on one.”

Ryan was even interested in playing softball after being looked at very closely by Westfield’s softball coach. She ultimately decided to compete in both indoor and outdoor track as well as volleyball.

It is a challenging schedule, competing and practicing during the fall, winter and spring sports season, and being a music major makes her schedule even more demanding.

As a music major, Ryan is enrolled in as many as 12 classes each semester. She typically takes six regular classes and an additional seven music courses (she generally receives 1 or ½ credit for each music class) during a semester.

“I know when I ask Rachel to do something and she consents I can count on her to fulfill her obligations fully and enthusiastically- she is a hard worker, and responsible. She does more than most people do who actually do two degrees,” said vocal professor Dr. Mary Bonacci.

Her courses consist of choir, solo singing and instrumentals, where she plays percussion, saxophone, and the oboe. The high-level musician/athlete posts her daily schedule (15 total copies) all over her room in an effort to stay sane and organized.

“Surprisingly I am able to have some time off for myself, where I have movie and game nights with my roommates, but sleep is definitely a hobby for me,” said Ryan.

Last fall Ryan was invited with seven other Westfield State students to sing with the Bay Path College Choir in Prague over Thanksgiving break. Ryan sang in Lichtenstein Palace, St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Spanish Synagogue.

“Rachel plays at an outside position and it’s the most contested and most competitive position in college. She was not starting in the beginning of this season, but she always kept positive and continued working hard and improving to earn that outside position,” said Westfield volleyball coach Fred Glanville.

Ryan’s junior season brought one of the biggest challenges to her volleyball career, as she participated with Division I players from all over the country at the USA Olympics Training Center in Colorado this past January.

“The hardest part was just going, because I was scared out of my mind and I didn’t know what to expect. My first day there I got a touch on everything and I played great defense with Division I players from Penn State. The experience showed me that I can actually do this and my goal to attain a 10 foot jump is in close reach,” said Ryan.

“Rachel is an extremely hard hitter. She smashes the ball. She is very passionate and an emotional player in a game or practicing; she wears her emotions on her sleeves. You know she loves volleyball and she works hard at it. Although, I don’t think she considers it work, but rather a labor of love, which is why it’s such a pleasure to coach her,” said Glanville.

Her success continued during the most recent indoor track and field season as she won the MASCAC championships in the shot put (37-5 ¾) and weight throw (46-2). Ryan is always looking for new ways to improve her throwing techniques.

“She has improved tremendously, considering she didn’t do weight throw in high school; she hopefully will qualify for nationals this season,” said O’Brien.

“It’s all about mentality. I have an expectation to go hard every minute,” says Ryan.