Sophomore sprinter/hurdler Ryan Matulonis competes on April 6, 2024.
Credit: Bamelak DukiRight before a competition, some athletes engage in superstitions, some repeat words of encouragement, and some force their minds to go blank.
None of these apply to sophomore sprinter/hurdler Ryan Matulonis, who thinks only one sentence right before his races. As he took his place on the line to race the 500-meter dash at the Philadelphia Metro Meet this past weekend, Matulonis repeated this routine conviction:
"Let’s just get this over with."
It looks like Matulonis’ unpretentious attitude worked as he ended up recording a new season-best time of 1:01.76 in the 500m — finishing in first place and ending the regular season ranked first in the Ivy League. The key to his success, it seems, is treating race day like any other practice.
“I'll get nervous maybe an hour before my race … and then once I get on a line, I just want to be done with it and get the nerves out of the way,” Matulonis said. “For me, it's kind of like, I just go out there and run as fast as I can and get it over with.”
“It’s not the end of the world” or “life goes on” are frequent catchphrases Matulonis repeats to himself to stay focused. Individual races come and go, and after a while, they begin to bleed together. Instead of getting bogged down in disappointments or even successes, Matulonis keeps the bigger picture in mind.
“I never get too nervous and too worked up about [competition], because at the end of the day, as long as I give it my all, and it's all you really ask for … life goes on,” he reflected. “Whether [you] have a good race or a bad race the next day is gonna be the same.”
Matulonis’ nonchalant mindset about competing is something most athletes struggle to find when preparing for competition. Especially within more individual sports like track and field, superstitions and nervous habits often get the better of athletes. While he hasn’t always been quite so calm, Matulonis’s ability to control his nerves comes from a place of surprise. He never expected to find this level of success, and his brain is still catching up with his accomplishments.
“The career I've had so far is something that I wouldn't [have] expected coming out of high school,” Matulonis said. “That allows me to just be kind of grateful for it, because … this was nothing that I had planned.”
His introduction to track and field was as unexpected as his quick success. Soccer was Matulonis’ primary sport until an innate interest turned him over to running. His sophomore year of high school was the first time Matulonis hit the track.
Just like he had always wanted to run track, Matulonis was immediately drawn to the hurdles, an object most sprinters will avoid at all costs. As it turned out, hurdling came pretty naturally to Matulonis. Yet another feather in his cap.
“I had done better than I thought I would, and it opened my eyes [and made me think], ‘hey, maybe I should take this more seriously and really put in more time to it’, because I had a good season and I did things that I [thought I] wasn't capable of,” he recalled of his sophomore season. “That motivated me to keep on trying it and then really committing to it fully as like, my main sport.”
Fast forward four years and Matulonis stands taller than ever with more than a few exceptional achievements behind him, one of which most athletes work their entire careers for. Last summer saw him become a semifinalist for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400-meter hurdles, ultimately finishing in 20th place.
Coach Chené Townsend — who recruited Matulonis to Penn and currently works on sprints and hurdles with Matulonis — coached him through the Trials, which strengthened their relationship.
“Our relationship has just continued to grow … just me showing my belief in him as a freshman, him having a very long freshman season, going all the way to the Olympic trials, just allowed us smaller group settings to get to learn more about each other,” Townsend said.
One must not misinterpret his relaxation for blaséness, however. Matulonis is consistently on his toes, ready to implement any feedback as efficiently as possible. Townsend commends his coachability, pointing out that this quality makes it “really fun to coach him.”
Matulonis’s teammate, roommate, and best friend sophomore sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell, who runs the 4x400-meter relay with Matulonis, also called out his hard work and dedication to track.
“As a teammate, he always pushes me; [he] never fails to push me. He definitely just always brings his 100% every single day to practice. So he then, in turn, motivates me to bring my 100% and it kind of just allows us to, like, build off of each other.” Newash-Campbell said.
Matulonis seems to break and set new records every time he sets foot on the track. In just this season alone he has set new personal bests in the 60-meter hurdles, 600 meters, and 800 meters while helping his 4x400m relay team break the school record twice. In his rookie season, Matulonis broke the Ivy League record in the 500m at the Ivy Heptagonal Indoor Championships. He later became the Ivy Heptagonal Outdoor Champion in the 400m hurdles. Perhaps the secret to Matulonis’s success is his ability to set aside his success instead of basking in it.
Though it may be hard to believe, Matulonis is not yet at the peak of his athletic career, according to Townsend.
“I think he had to learn a lot as a freshman: that he could go fast and also finish,” she said. “I think his room for improvement in terms of speed is actually, I honestly believe that … we've just scratched the surface.”
She remembered his performance in the 500m at the Darius Dixon Memorial Meet last year as a defining moment in his athletic career. He finished in 1:01.90 — coming in first place and setting a program and meet record. It was his first time breaking one minute and two seconds during a race.
“That was a big moment in my eyes, because I think it really set him on the path to actually break the Ivy League record,” Townsend recalled.
Matulonis’ consistency comes from his admiration of his teammates, who motivate him to work even harder without saying anything. He specifically praised 2024 graduate Isabella Whittaker for inspiring him to push himself past his limits.
“Bella Whitaker obviously had a phenomenal year, and I think that was a really good influence for me, just being able to see the work that she's put in and how it's paid off … and she was a great leader and a great teammate,” he reflected. "She wasn't just a good athlete. She's a good person as well. And I think that it's great to look up to and try to match.”
If these past two seasons have proven anything, it is that Matulonis was born to run track. He treats the sport with tremendous respect and never flaunts his abilities, instead choosing to attribute his successes to his teammates and coaches. Newash-Campbell recalled that during freshman year, Matulonis would “put his head down and [do] the work and [not] question it,” which allowed the two to connect quickly.
“I know out of everyone on the relay, I know that I can trust that he's going to bring it every time, so I don't ever have to worry about that,” Newash-Campbell said.
One of Newash-Campbell’s favorite memories from track and field was his first time running the Penn Relays with Matulonis.
“We're running against all these schools that have … really fast times. And you know, me and Ryan are just two little freshmen, and we end up running extremely fast times together … on that relay and set a record-breaking time for the school [that] broke our record by two seconds.”
With the outdoor season on the horizon, Matulonis has set his sights on defending his Ivy League titles in the 500m and 400m hurdles and hopefully winning the 4x400m relay. His gaze is unwavering with this past weekend’s strong performance on his back.
“[It’s] definitely a confidence boost going into the Ivy League Championships next weekend" he said.
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