Gazette MVP: Medina's Brad Ryba swam fastest when lights were brightest

On any given day, Medina senior Brady Ryba was likely the fastest kid in the swimming pool. What truly made Ryba special was what happened when the lights were the brightest. Ryba was among the fastest in Medina County in every individual boys event this season and the absolute fastest in the 100-yard freestyle (48.23), 200 free (1:44.67), 100 backstroke (52.63) and 200 individual medley (1:57.97). However, the fact he could summon those times at the Bees' biggest meets of the season — from the Jim Stacy Winter Invitational to the Greater Cleveland Conference Championships to the Northwest Division I District and all the way to state — made Ryba, now a three-time All-Gazette selection, the breakaway choice for Gazette MVP. "I can put him up for any event in a dual meet, and he's going to win," Medina coach Anthony Petruzzi said. "In bigger meets, where maybe we'd rest a day or two beforehand, he would just fly. He would dominate, and that was so much fun." The only time Ryba lost in a dual was when he was barely out-touched in the 50 free by Wadsworth sprinting specialist Tony Canfora (21:81), an event that was far from Ryba's specialty. Ryba went on to qualify for state for the third year in a row — he was a relay alternate as a freshman — and turned in his finest performance at Canton's C.T. Branin Natatorium with 17th place in the 200 IM (1:55.48). That was the best result in an individual event by a county competitor this season and left him 0.29 seconds shy of qualifying for the "B" final and second-team All-Ohio. Ryba also finished 21st in the 100 back (52.57). "It was a really great end to my career," he said. "That's the highest I've ever placed in the state. Although it was nerve-racking to pick up a new event, the 200 IM, to finish at the level I did with the competitiveness of the state, I was really proud of that. "I was one spot from making finals, which was disappointing, but I take it as a lesson. I know I gave it everything I had and am so incredibly proud of how it went." Maybe most remarkable was that Ryba switched his individual event to the 200 IM for the postseason and shined. Making changes was nothing new to Ryba throughout his career, as that was what helped him continue to find ways to improve while already competing at an extremely high level. "We changed events," Petruzzi said. "He went from the 200 freestyle and 100 back at state a year ago to the 200 IM and the 100 back. The 200 IM, it was incredible how fast he swam." On his way to the state meet, Ryba finished second in the 200 IM (1:54.46) and third in the 100 back (52.53) at districts to earn automatic qualifier spots. He also led the 400 free relay (3:19.62) and 200 free relay (1:31.76) to seventh and eighth, respectively. At the GCC Championships, Ryba won the 200 IM (2:03.02), 100 back (55.20) and 400 free relay (3:25.13) while finishing second in the 200 free relay (1:33.44) to help Medina finish second as a team behind Strongsville. At the Jim Stacy Invitational at the SPIRE Institute, Ryba was third in the 100 back (53.09), fourth in the 200 IM (1:57.97) and helped the Bees to sixth in the 200 free relay (1:32.81) and seventh in the 200 medley relay (1:43.23). "He's a fierce competitor," Petruzzi said. "He doesn't want to get beat. He wants to be perfect. That's definitely his biggest attribute." Right behind Ryba's competitiveness is his ability to lift those around him and be the leader that the young Medina team needed. While many swimmers focus attention and energy on their individual events, Ryba always gave his best efforts on relays and looked for the ways to raise his teammates' confidence. "When he talks, swimmers listen, but he's such a good person that cares about people," Petruzzi said. "His teammates know that and they gravitate to him. They increase their own ability because of him." Ryba, who plans on studying health sciences as a pre-med student while swimming for Ohio State's club team, was determined to improve because of teammates and coaches who drove him. When talking about this season, his the success of his teammates were the first things Ryba mentioned. That balance between his ability to analyze individual events and work with others toward a common goal on relays was what Ryba said he loved most about swimming. "I find positive ways to motivate myself," Ryba said. "I love going in and doing the sets. I love pushing myself and the variety you can find with that. It was all about finding new ways to keep myself engaged. "Sometimes it was hard to stay motivated, but for me, it was all about the connection I made with my coaches, my teammates and the connection I have with myself to keep pushing." That love for the work and the determination to reach his goals defined Ryba's career with the Bees, one that finished in just the way one would expect with Ryba doing better than he ever had before at the state meet, his final high school competition. "It's been such a great experience for me," Ryba said. "I wouldn't take any of the lessons I learned for granted. Coming in as a freshman and sophomore year I put a lot of pressure on myself. "It was all about keeping it in perspective that I was doing it for my teammates. They are the ones that make it worth it to wake up early and go to a freezing pool to put in all those hours." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.