Ryan Scott: Giving It His All
10/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Angie Bazzano, MSU Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Every time redshirt senior defenseman Ryan Scott suits up in the Green and White, he is reminded of the privilege to represent MSU Athletics and every opportunity Michigan State has given him, both on and off the field.
The "student" part of being a student-athlete is what Scott, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has placed an emphasis on over the past five years. His academic success is what then drove him to pursue an internship last summer at Nestle Nutrition in O'Clair, Wisconsin, which then led to a full-time position within their company.
"It was a really fun experience out there and then about three weeks after my internship this summer, they called me back to offer me full-time and I accepted," Scott said.
After Scott graduates from Michigan State with his degree in bio-systems engineering this spring, he will head to Solon, Ohio, to work at Nestle in their Safety, Health and Environmental Department as part of a two-year rotation.
Although for some seniors having a full-time job lined up after graduation means sitting back and placing the focus off of academics, Scott believes differently. He refuses to put on the brakes for his academic success and continues to strive to do his best in every situation.
"It's built into my DNA to try to do my best in school," said Scott. "At some times I want to flip off that switch knowing I have a job, but I still have to give it my all."
Through his time as a Spartan, Scott's dedication to his academics hasn't wavered, as he has been awarded Academic All-Big Ten honors for the past three seasons.
In the classroom and on the soccer field, Scott focuses on bettering himself for the good of the team and dedicates himself to being a leader for his teammates and community.
Scott was named as one of three captains for the 2017 season, which he sees as his way to give back to the program and his teammates. Being able to represent his team with this accolade is rewarding and gives Scott the opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the program that has done so much for him.
"I remember what it was like coming in as a freshman or being an underclassman and looking up to the captains and the older guys on the team," said Scott. "I just want to do whatever I can, on or off the field, to help these guys out. I think that's what it's all about"
In what he described as a cycle of older players on the team helping out the freshmen and underclassmen who then grow into the experienced players, Scott has been using his role this season to help out his teammates in any way that he can. "Keep giving it your all on the field, off the field," Scott concludes. "Work hard and enjoy it while you have it, it goes by quick."
His Spartan journey over the past five years can be characterized by both growth and hard work. After redshirting his freshman season, Scott remained dedicated to making the most of his time in the Green and White. He has thrived and embraced his role of being a leader and team player off the field, which then translated into more responsibilities on the field.
"For my career here, it's been a lot more of the supporting role. Not as much on the field during games but doing what I can to make the team better in practice," Scott said. "The past couple years I've gotten a little bit more playing time toward the end of my career which is nice, but I think that's just a product of hard work and going about your business for your time here."
Although there are a lot of memorable experiences Scott has had over his five years, one game sticks out in his mind as a reminder of why he continues to go to battle every day for his team.
In a road match against St. Louis University earlier this season, Scott tallied his first career goal with four seconds left in regulation to secure the 2-0 win for Michigan State.
"St. Louis is a historic program and there's a lot of history between the two programs," said Scott. "To be able to score with four seconds to go in regulation was a really fun moment for me."
However, what was really special for Scott about scoring his first career goal was the history and tradition between Michigan State and SLU's soccer programs. The game celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Co-National Championship teams and honored members of both squads.
So far this season, Scott has scored two goals including the last second goal at SLU, with the other coming a month later against Akron. While being able to score goals for the team has been a thrilling way to wind down his career, his main goal has always been to help the team and make the team better.
"The goals themselves, they're exciting but they don't mean a whole lot unless you're helping your team out," said Scott. "I always like to be a team-oriented guy."
Being a Spartan student-athlete is an opportunity that Scott has been honored to be a part of, and he attributes his successes to the culture that surrounds the soccer program and MSU Athletics.
"It builds a lot of good character, as far as hard work, motivation, leadership and going into things such as jobs afterwards."
Although his journey in East Lansing may be coming to a close, Scott will leave Michigan State with all the skills being a Spartan has taught him â€" including how to be a better leader, teammate and hard worker.
"It's such a privilege to be a part of MSU Athletics no matter what team you're on, no matter if you play every minute of every game or if you don't play a single minute in your career," said Scott. "Just having the opportunity to put on this jersey and represent something that's bigger than you is really special."
