Comeback Complete
BUTLER TWP — The signing of a letter of intent to continue one's athletic career in college is a special day for any athlete.
It was especially so for Ryan Marcella.
Shortly before graduating last spring, Butler's sprinter officially made his decision to attend Duquesne University and compete on both the indoor and outdoor track teams.
His injury-filled junior year was not far from his mind when he put pen to paper.
In an early-season meet against North Allegheny in 2018, Marcella leaned forward at the finish line to win the 100-meter dash.
“As soon as I walked off the track, my back locked up,” Marcella said. “I couldn't move.”
What he had hoped would pass with a little rest became a lengthy ordeal. Marcella missed over a month, though he continued to show up at Butler meets, roaming the infield and wondering when he would be able to compete again.
“I never got an official diagnosis, but our trainers and my physical therapist said it was a disc,” said Marcella. “I'd be sitting at my desk in school and there would be this sharp pain in my lower back. I'd have to stand up and try to stretch it out. I thought I'd be dealing with it for a long time.”
Marcella made it back on the track shortly before the WPIAL championship meet, which he did compete in, but far from 100 percent.
“I had no endurance, no power,” he said.
A few weeks into the summer, the pain began to slowly fade. He closed his high school career in May with a WPIAL medal and PIAA appearance in the 100.
“Ryan is a very gifted athlete,” said Butler coach Mike Seybert. “He has speed, strength and was driven to get better every year.”
Marcella truly appreciates the opportunity to continue running in college.
“When I signed, it was exciting,” he said. “You have dreams of competing in Division I and to have it happen, it felt great.”
His college decision came down to Duquesne and California (Pa.) University. He will run the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay for the former.
“I liked the coaches at both schools,” he said, “but Cal just didn't feel like home like Duquesne did.
“Duquesne clicked. It just felt right,” added Marcella, who will major in sports marketing.
Already competing for the Dukes is Marcella's former teammate at Butler, incoming sophomore Jake Wolfrum, who runs the hurdle events.
