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By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Boardman alumnus, Ryan Bailey, was honored with the Corvias Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Bailey started swimming at the Boardman Tennis and Swim Club when he was 8-years-old. After a year or two at the Club, he started swimming year round at Penguin Swimming and his talent started to grow every year.
Bailey attended the Naval Academy after graduating from Boardman High School in 2013 and continued his swimming career for four more years. His plebe - freshman - year he gained time in his best events. As a sophomore, his youngster year, Bailey was able to find a better balance between his schoolwork, teammates and swimming and was able to contribute to the team in a bigger way.
During Bailey’s second class year, when he was a junior, he started to have more fun with his classmates. They had already been on the team for two years and started to do everything together. His teammates are what helped him have fun and enjoy his time at the Academy.
As a senior Bailey was voted as team captain and took on more responsibility.
“It encouraged me to continue working hard and leading by example as best as I could each day,” said Bailey.
The Corvias Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is given to an athlete who carries at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average and a starter or key player in their sport. Bailey was given this award based on his leadership and dedication to his education and swimming.
Bailey credits a lot of his success to his past teachers and coaches, but most importantly his parents. His coaches and professors at the Academy also helped push him to new levels.
“I could not have achieved any of my success without a lot of people,” said Bailey.