May 12, 2008
A leader is defined as a person that leads or guides and who is in charge or in command of others.
As a senior on the UCF softball team, Ashley Van Ryn fits that description almost perfectly. She has led her softball squad to an impressive season on the field, as well as setting an example for her peers off of the fastpitch diamond, in the classroom and in the community.
Van Ryn is not only the Knights' starting centerfielder, but she is also the 2008 recipient of the Dr. Richard Lapchick Award, which measures both athletic and academic achievement in addition to the positive impact an athlete has on the community.
Van Ryn, a member of the UCF Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), recently organized the uKNIGHTed: Pros and Joes, 2008 event to help raise money for the Central Florida Children's Home, as well as donating 13 inches of her hair to Locks of Love last summer.
The Atlanta, Ga., native will also be graduating in the top one-percent of her hospitality management class, posting a 3.93 GPA in the classroom and was a member of last season's Conference USA All-Academic team. These are just a few noteables Van Ryn herself is most proud of since arriving at UCF.
"I just found out that I received the Dr. Lapchick Award for this year and it is only given to one male and one female student athlete, which is really cool, because it's not just athletics and it's not just academics, but a combination of the two," Van Ryn stated. "I also found out recently that I am in the top one-percent in my major. It's hard to be a student-athlete and succeed in the classroom, and this just shows that it can be done. As a whole, our team works really hard to show others that it can be done. We try to have a good team GPA and it just shows that we have a good support system here that helps us accomplish that."
Although being a leader in the classroom seemed to come easily to Van Ryn, being a leader on the field was a more difficult task.
"When you're a senior it almost like there is this huge light shining on you, which can be good or bad," Van Ryn said. "Your team is looking up to you on and off the field and if you don't set the right example, you aren't helping your team go in the right direction. Until you get put into that position you don't really understand everything that comes with being a senior and being a captain to your team. It really does prepare you for the future and the real world."
Van Ryn's successes on and off the field at UCF are definitely ones that will lead her to great victories in all aspects of life, which will come in handy with the big plans she has for her future.
"In the future I would like to look for a position in something within sports because that is important to me and one of my joys in life," Van Ryn stated. "Other than that, I would like to get into coaching. I have been able to work some camps and help coach in different areas and I feel a special bond with high school coaching and possibly doing that in the future."
Wherever she ends up in life, her ability to balance the rigors of everyday life as a student-athlete will tag Van Ryn as a leader by example.
- Sarah Tarasewicz
This story appears in the April edition of KnightVision. Produced 10 times per year, KnightVision is the official publication of UCF Athletics. Each issue includes stories about UCF teams, student-athletes and coaches. To order 10 exciting issues from August through June, call 1-888-877-4373 (ext. 121) or 336-768-3400 (ext. 121).