LARAMIE, Wyo. (12/14/21) – Ryan Netzel's last name has transformed into a verb – Netzeling. It's a word coined by University of Wyoming swimming & diving head coach Dave Denniston to describe the way his distance swimmer attacks a race.

"He's somebody that lays back for a long time, and when he's ready to go, he has another gear," Denniston said.

The next gear associated with Netzeling involves another unique phenomenon. When Netzel transitions from his cruise into his back-half-of-the-race kick, the senior will embody slightly different freestyle form.

"He has a unique freestyle where his fingertips come down – like a hook – and you see this big hooking arm coming over the water," Denniston said. "The team will joke and say, 'Oh no, I see the hook coming.'"

Chasing down swimmers with speed and intimidating form is just a fraction of what makes Netzel unique and important to his teammates, coaches and university.

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Netzel grew up in the westerly Chicago suburb of Plainfield, Illinois. He began swimming at a young age and from the outset distance was his specialty.

The grueling practices, mental toughness and the stamina necessary were all attributes Netzel embodied. His expertise in all of those aspects made him coveted by numerous Division I schools.

Amid of a sea of high-level options, UW stood out.

"Wyoming was the best of everything," Netzel said. "The coaching staff was great and knowledge about everything and supportive of athletes. You can really tell that they care about the person rather than the time on the scoreboard. The team, and it's going to sound cliché, was legitimately like a family."

Netzel stands as one of the first student-athletes that Denniston recruited upon being promoted to the head coaching position. He saw a talented swimmer and a high-character individual with a unique aforementioned swimming strategy.

"I first saw him in Minnesota at a meet and talked to his coach, and he said, 'He's really quiet, a great leader and loves to race,'" Denniston said. "That's all I needed to hear."

Netzel blended in with Wyoming swimming effortlessly and made a significant impact early in his career. He finished runner-up and third in the 1,650- and the 500-yard freestyles, respectively, at the Western Athletic Conference Championships to earn WAC Freshmen of the Year honors.

Amid the success blossomed a hunger to improve and chase an even more prestigious standing. However, with that came an internal expectation to reach lofty goals and a joy for the sport was lost.

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Netzel set his sights on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials in the 400-yard freestyle. He nearly accomplished that dream, coming within three-hundredths of a second and then one-hundredth of a second of the time necessary to do so.

"I was so stressed and so worried that if I didn't (qualify), it would define my swimming career," Netzel said. "It was a blessing in disguise that I didn't get it because it made me realize that it's not the end of the world. I still had my whole team and I still had the rest of my swimming career.

"It allowed me to focus on why I started this sport in the first place."

Netzel has returned to the basics, finding joy in the grind of distance workouts. He has fun allowing his opponents to jump out to early leads only to chase them down and get his hand on the wall first.

Netzel has given races that stretch one-mile long and 15 minutes in duration a must-watch factor.

"There's a certain point in every race where I go from my cruise to chasing people down," Netzel said. "When that starts, I can look to the side and all across the pool all my teammates are up and cheering. It makes me want to chase somebody down that much more."

Many swimmers on Wyoming have described the back-half kick and arm hook to a lion stalking and then pouncing on its prey. It's a soul-crushing process Netzel enacts on his opponents.  

"There are a number of different analogies the team has used," Denniston said. "Ryan is somebody who brings teammates along with him and into the fight with him. He makes the distance events a lot more engaging for his teammates in the water and on deck.

"There's a lot of energy when he's swimming."

And don't be surprised during those races, or in any race for that matter, if you hear the word 'Netzeling.' It's not only a race strategy, but a word built off a true blue-collar Cowboy who has earned everything he's accomplished.