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Men’s Gymnast Kellen Ryan Stepping Up From Minnesota Club Level In Graduate Year At Penn State

Kellen Ryan became a gymnast so early on in his life that he can’t remember the exact age, saying he was 3 or 4 when he took up the sport before joining his first team at 6.

With the dream of one day competing at the NCAA level, Ryan grew up training in Madison, Wisconsin, where he drove 45 minutes to practice every day for 12 years.

After attending Milton High School and continuing to work toward his goal, Ryan committed to Minnesota’s club gymnastics team with the plans of eventually using it as a stepping stone to a higher level.

“I ended up going to Minnesota with the plan of transferring out either my first or second year,” Ryan said. “That didn’t happen. There weren’t spots available on any teams, so I kind of gave up on the dream after my sophomore year and decided I’d stay at Minnesota.”

While his dream of becoming an NCAA-level gymnast seemed out of reach after two years in Minneapolis, Ryan didn’t know what would happen a year later.

After completing his junior year, Ryan received a message from an old friend, who he competed with at the junior level for three years in Wisconsin. That friend happened to be Matt Cormier, who is in his fifth year with Penn State men’s gymnastics.

“[Cormier] reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in potentially joining the team this year. At first, I was really against the idea of doing it, because I’d be leaving everything that I was comfortable with in Minnesota,” Ryan said. “I gave it a chance. I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t try to make my dreams come true.”

Ryan made the decision to transfer to Penn State last summer, but he remained at Minnesota for the fall 2024 semester so he could join the Nittany Lions as a graduate student. However, graduating a semester earlier than he was originally on track for while continuing to train was no easy task.

“Last semester was really tough,” Ryan shared. “It was 21 credits to graduate with a civil engineering degree. There wasn’t a whole lot of social life outside of school and gymnastics. Every single day, we practiced at different gyms around the area, but it was 30 to 40 minutes each day. I really just had to focus up.”

The focus paid off for Ryan, who came to Happy Valley for a single semester, as he’s competing for Penn State in the 2025 season after a quick transition to campus.

Ryan arrived in State College ahead of the season having to transition into a new team that returned 14 gymnasts from last year’s team and had been practicing together while he was still in the North Star State.

“It was definitely interesting meeting a whole new team and trying to fit within the team dynamic. It’s a little different from the team dynamic in Minnesota, but I felt like within the first week, I was a part of the team, which is really nice,” Ryan said. “I was a part of the family. Everybody was very supportive. Everybody wanted to get to know me, and I got to get to know all of them.”

Despite arriving just weeks ago, Ryan has impacted the Nittany Lions in a positive way, as he and the team have used a 2-0 start to the season to take the RoadToNationals No. 7 ranking.

Fourth on the team in both the vault with a 13.787 average and rings with a 12.917 average, Ryan credits much of his early-season success to the trust he has developed in the program.

“Just trusting the process, trusting the training, trusting the coaches, trusting the team,” Ryan said. “I think a big thing that the team is focusing on this year is making sure that we’re hitting all of our sets and we’re going up with confidence. I’m excited to see how we can continue to grow and get better throughout the season.”

The remainder of the season will be difficult for Penn State, as its next five head-to-head opponents are all ranked in the top six nationally, including a home meet against No. 6 Michigan this Saturday.

While he knows a tough stretch is coming, Ryan has his sights set on bringing hardware back to Rec Hall at the end of the season, which he said will be made possible if the team holds onto its confidence and belief.

“Personally, I want to continue contributing to the team in multiple events. That’s my goal,” Ryan shared. “And as a team, our goal is to get a ring this year, either Big Ten or NCAA. We want to be on a podium. That’s our main goal.”

Ryan, who is pursuing a graduate certificate in engineering leadership and innovation management, will head back to Minnesota upon graduating from Penn State as a civil engineer with the hopes of continuing his gymnastics career.

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About the Author

Michael Siroty

Michael Siroty is a sophomore from Westfield, New Jersey, majoring in broadcast journalism. When he isn't writing articles or making TikToks for Onward State, Siroty is either taking a peaceful walk around Beaver Stadium or at his summer day camp job. You can contact him to discuss your sushi order or music taste on Instagram and X @msiroty or by email at mfs6682@psu.edu.

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