Studying nursing is a whole job within itself, but adding the pressures that come with being an athlete can sometimes be too much.
Pennsylvania native, Abigail Ryan started her college journey at Piedmont University in 2019, studying nursing as well as joining the women’s soccer team.
When trying to find the right college for her, Ryan said, “I knew I wanted to go as far south as possible. My mom told me the furthest south she’d let me go was Georgia.”
It was important to Ryan to find a school that allowed her to do both soccer and nursing. Many schools, when it comes to the high demands of nursing programs, do not allow their students to be enrolled in both.
“I had a few conversations with other schools, including some Division II schools, but they weren’t for the idea of me playing soccer and studying nursing at the same time,” said Ryan. “When I came across Piedmont and they told me they were compatible with both, that was the biggest perk for me and my decision to commit here.”
Ryan was pleased with the NCAA Division III college and its efforts in accommodating both her athletic and academic career. However, it wasn’t always a smooth ride for her.
When Ryan was academically a junior in the fall semester of 2021, she had failed a class within the nursing program that held her back from continuing to the spring semester that year.
“In the nursing program you must have a 75% in a class to pass,” said Ryan. “I was less than 1% away from being considered passing. Unfortunately the school was unable to round it up to that 75%, meaning I had failed the class.”
The class Ryan had failed was fundamentals in nursing. This class was only offered in the fall, so this meant Ryan was forced to leave campus, return home for the spring and wait until the following fall to retake the class.
“My initial thought when Abby Ryan told me she would have to leave for one semester was worrying that she may not finish her degree,” said head women’s soccer coach, Timmy McCormack. “I’ve seen so many students over the years that have left for a period of time thinking they will finish only not to return. But I quickly remembered who we were talking about here – this is Abby Ryan, one of the toughest and mentally strong people I’ve ever met.”
Ryan drove 12 hours home to Pennsylvania to work at the hospital and apply her knowledge learned thus far during her break over the spring semester. The collegiate soccer season is played in the fall, so luckily for Ryan, it did not interfere with her soccer season.
“I never had a worry in my mind when it came to eligibility or how it would affect the team because I worry about our individual’s mental well-being and physical wellness before I worry about eligibility or the team,” said McCormack.
Once Ryan returned to Piedmont’s campus in the fall of 2022, she was able to get back on the soccer field and retake and pass the class she had failed the year prior, allowing her to move forward in the nursing program.
“From a player’s perspective, Abby’s experience gave her another chance to come back and play for the soccer team,” said teammate and nursing classmate, Marissa Taghon. “I think it made her a better nurse and a better student, because now, you know, she’s been through everything kind of twice and she really understands what’s going on.”
Ryan was able to continue her academic career within the nursing program with no further issues. She has been excelling in all her classes all while working clinical shifts at the surrounding hospitals ever since.
“When I met with Division II schools prior to coming to Piedmont, they were very honest with me and they said nursing is always going to take priority to soccer, so I could see my chances of returning to campus after failing and being able to rejoin the soccer team almost impossible if I were to choose a different school,” said Ryan.
When Ryan returned to campus and the soccer field, it was almost as if she had never left.
“Being at a DIII helped Abby from the standpoint that Division III is about totality of the student-athlete experience,” said McCormack. “Her adversity was part of the totality of her experience, and that falls in the philosophy of Division III, we are a part of that as much as we would be with her on the field. She knew she had our support just like she supported us as a teammate, and later as a captain.”
Over Ryan’s time at Piedmont, she has played in nearly 50 games and has totaled 3,385 playing minutes on the field. She was voted team captain for her final season and finished her soccer career strong.
“Let there be no doubt, though she may have been supported, it’s Abby who fought through adversity to get to the other side,” said McCormack. “I loved seeing her take control of what she could, not worry about what she couldn’t control, and overcome through perseverance. She’s a living example of the powerful and capable person of which you want your athletic program to be full.”
Ryan is on track to graduate with her nursing degree in May 2024.
“Making the decision to go DIII helped me to better my education and keep my priorities straight,” said Ryan. “I’m very happy with the decision I made, and regardless of how my specific scenario played out, I would pick DIII again and I have encouraged others to do the same.”
