For their accomplishments in the classroom and their respective athletic endeavors, St. Mary’s tennis star Brady Ryan and Beverly track standout India Ingemi have been named the Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month for April.
Ryan has played varsity tennis since he was a sixth-grader. He stepped into the first singles slot as a seventh-grader. Ryan’s a six-time Catholic Central League all-star.
In the classroom, Ryan carries a 4.75 GPA. He challenges himself with three AP courses (calculus, biology, spanish) and three honors courses (theology, Brittish literature and composition, anatomy). Ryan’s ranked eighth in his class.
“It feels rewarding to be acknowledged and to be recognized for the work I put in with academics and athletics,” Ryan, a senior, said.
Time management is key in balancing academics along with his tennis responsibilities.
“Usually when I have a tennis match I go there immediately after school,” Ryan said. “When I finish my match I go back home and I’ll relax for a few minutes, then I dive into school work. When we have just practice or when it rains I try to get a lot more work in on those days.”
Ryan, a Lynn native, committed to continue his tennis career at Division II Assumption College. He’s undecided on his major but is planning on studying environmental science.
“When I was younger I always had an interest with rocks, minerals, gemstones and things like that,” Ryan said. “I remember in elementary and middle school I had a rock collection. That sort of developed into an interest for the environment.”
Ryan recently wrapped a tremendous run in the individual state tournament in which he reached the semifinal round.
“I feel like there’s definitely a lot more pressure (in tournament matches),” Ryan said. “I get a little more tense and nervous at the start of the match. As the match progresses, I’m able to settle in. Typically I’m able to develop my rhythm early in exhibition matches and other seasonal matches, it just takes a little longer in tournament matches.”
Ingemi runs cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. She was named MVP of the Northeastern Conference last spring. This past weekend at the Northeastern Conference meet, she logged first-place finishes in the 100 meter dash, 400 meter dash and long jump.
“I don’t always have the best mindset,” Ingemi, a junior, said. “I’ve been trying to work on it. I get really nervous. If I know it’s a really big meet I try not to think so much about the time I’m going to hit. I tell myself to do the best I can and at the end of the day even if I come in dead last, no one’s going to be mad and I can’t be mad at myself. I try to focus on all the effort I put in and not on anybody else in the race.”
Ingemi’s challenging course load includes four AP classes (English language and composition, US history, physics and German). She carries a 4.7 GPA.
“I feel a lot of the time people assume that if you’re a good athlete you might not care about academics so much,” Ingemi said. “I work really hard on both. I feel a lot of times people focus on the athletics side of a person. It’s nice that I have something that I care about a lot be recognized.
“It can definitely be difficult,” Ingemi said. “I’ve had nights I’ve been up until 1 a.m. trying to get everything done. Junior year’s tough because I have so much going on. It can be hard but it pays off. It all works itself out in the end.”