Lehigh University Athletics
RAYsing Expectations
1/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
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Many athletes spend years trying to make their mark in their respective sports. Most starting when they are four or five spend countless hours on the practice field, and that will eventually evolve to time spent in the weight room, watching film, meeting with coaches, and playing in hundreds of games. But for Lehigh’s Nick Ray he didn’t get such an early start. Ray didn’t start participating in sports until his sophomore year of high school, but his natural athleticism and his hard work destined him for great things.
As sophomore in a public high school in Charlotte, N.C., Ray played football, but wasn’t too keen on his experiences at the school. Through an after school program Ray would learn that he had the possibility to transfer to a private school that not only offered better academics, but a chance to get involved in more sports. Ray and his family decided it would be best for him to attend the new school, but the only stipulation was that Ray would have to repeat his sophomore year because of school policy.
Ray, who was a good student academically, made the switch to the Charlotte Latin School and it is a move that forever impacted his athletic career. After he enrolled in the new school Ray decided to participate in three sports: football, wrestling, and track and field. After one year at Charlotte Latin, it didn’t take long for Ray to excel in all three.
In football, Ray was inserted into the defensive line rotation and he quickly picked up the game. He picked up wrestling even faster, only losing one match his junior year on the way to being named All-State. In track he went from a sixth place finish his sophomore to finishing first in the state.
“I was able to pick up all three sports very fast,” Ray said. “The coaches at Charlotte Latin really helped me in my development.”
His senior year was even more successful as he was named All-State in all three sports. His football team won the state title and he was selected to play in the Annual Shrine Bowl which pits players from North Carolina against those from South Carolina. In wresting he won states and broke the state record for the shot put in track and field.
In three short years Ray had gone from just starting his athletic career to the type of success that most athletes strive for. To get to that point nothing came easy for Ray and that included even getting to school.
“I had to get up every morning at 5:30 to make it school by (8:30),” Ray said. “I had to take a city bus 30 minutes to a downtown park and then I would catch the school bus to school.”
For all of his hard work throughout his three years at Charlotte Latin Ray was honored by receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. For Ray it was a statement made by the school’s headmaster which he remembers most about getting the award.
“My headmaster said that I worked harder just to get to school than some kids did at the school.”
Because of his great resume and outstanding grades Ray was accepted to nine of the 10 colleges he applied for, one of which was Lehigh. He was being recruited by several Division III colleges to play football, but athletics weren’t his main concern. Ray’s first visit to Lehigh was an academic one and it was an academic recruiter who first talked to Ray about participating in athletics. That same recruiter also talked to Lehigh’s track and field head coach Matt Utesch and the rest is history.
“It is kind of funny because I didn’t get recruited to play sports here,” Ray said. “I guess you can say I was stumbled upon.”
Ray, an architecture and civil engineering major, knew this is where he wanted to be for academics and athletics.
“Charlotte Latin is very similar to Lehigh and I felt I wouldn’t have to do much adjusting,” Ray said. “It was important to me that I was not just another number and at Lehigh I felt that wouldn’t be the case. All of my professors know me by name and it is nice to have that relationship with them.”
Ray, who almost joined club wrestling at Lehigh decided to concentrate only on track and has developed into one of the biggest leaders on the team. He is the best thrower on the men’s team and his work ethic is unquestioned. Even as a freshman Ray was not afraid to step up and address some team issues.
“I observed a lot of things that frustrated me, especially because I knew the team had a lot of talent and they weren’t getting the most out of it,” Ray said. “I made a statement to them and I think it meant a lot coming from a freshman.”
“Athletically Nick came in and impacted the team right away,” Utesch said. “He also had an understanding of the bigger picture of the team. Track and field is primarily an individual sport, but he used his prior experiences of being a captain to try and bring the team together.”
Now a senior, Ray is hoping he can leave a lasting impact on Lehigh and everyone that he comes in contact with.
“I have tried to change the culture of the team over the last four years,” Ray said. “Some people think the only way to have fun is to go out to parties and that isn’t true. I am trying to show people that their social lives shouldn’t be more important than academics and athletics.”
Ray also hopes to return home and help out younger kids like he was helped. “I would like to go back and help kids the same way that I was helped. I want to help people that deserve to be helped.”
“When Nick leaves people will view him as more than just an athlete that can throw a shot put far,” Utesch said. “He is a natural leader that is living his life in a way that represents his family well, the program well and the university well.”
Nick Ray has shown that he can succeed in whatever he does, whether it is athletics, academics, or being a great leader. For Ray, who wants to be an architect, the sky is the limit on what he can do in life, but one thing that is certain, it won’t take him long to get there.
