When high-school athletes commit to play collegiate athletics, they expect they will have a team to play for.
However, this was not always the case for ASU senior-swimmer Nolan Ruane.
“It’s definitely [been] different than most people would have it,” Ruane said about his four years as a Sun Devil.
Ruane not only remained a Sun Devil through coaching changes, but also when the swim team was cut altogether.
In May 2008, then Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love as well as ASU president Michael Crow decided, for financial purposes, to cut the ASU men’s swim team as well as the men’s tennis and wrestling teams.
It was the first time ASU had cut athletic teams since 1993.
While many in the swim program did not support or agree with the decision, it was understood.
“The athletic department was under financial constraints and they had to make a business decision,” ASU swim coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker said.
The future of the ASU men’s swim team was very puzzling, so the majority of the swimmers decided to quit the team or transfer to other schools.
“We didn’t know whether there would be a team or not,” Ruane said. “There were six of us as freshman at the time and I’m the only one left. We had a few others join but they ended up quitting.”
Thanks to support from various donors, ASU was able to fully reinstate men’s swimming in July of 2008. Wrestling was also reinstated.
For a few months it was uncertain as to whether the team would exist, but Ruane never considered leaving the team as so many of his teammates opted to do.
“I’ve never really quit anything,” Ruane said. “It could [have been] worse and I was here and happy so I never really thought about quitting.”
Ruane, a Mesa native with the ASU logo tattooed on his body, has earned plenty of respect from his coaches and teammates due to his commitment to the team and willingness to remain a Sun Devil.
“I respect his loyalty to the program immensely,” Tierney-Walker said. “He’s the last one that was here when the program was dropped. He stuck with it and has strived more and more every year.”
Although none of his male teammates were around when the program was cut, they still acknowledge his dedication to the ASU program.
In fact, some Sun Devils credit Ruane as part of the reason they chose ASU.
“When that all went down he was still around the pool a lot and that was part of the reason I came here,” ASU freshman Hayden Thomas said.
Thomas has known Ruane for a few years through club swimming and looks up to the senior.
“Nolan is definitely a great role model,” Thomas said. “He stuck with the team when it was cut and that shows a lot about his commitment to the sport and the school. He’s definitely set a standard for how we should act as a team.”
As if being part of a team that was cut and reinstated was not stressful enough, Ruane has also dealt with coaching changes during his tenure at ASU.
When current coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker was hired in 2009, Ruane said a few of his teammates were scared or unsure of what to think, but he transitioned easily because he has never had a problem with any of his coaches.
“It was no big deal for me,” Ruane said.
Although these past four years have been anything but normal, Ruane will finish his collegiate career with no regrets.
“It has been pretty great,” Ruane said of his time at ASU. “I’m happy I stuck around.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
