Two-time U.S. Open qualifier Ryder Hicks has announced his verbal commitment to swim for the University of Louisville beginning in the fall of 2025.
I am very excited and grateful to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of Louisville! I would like to thank my family, friends and teammates for their endless support and most importantly I want to thank God for everything he has done in my life. I would also like to thank my coaches at the Mason Manta Rays, Ken Heis, Emilie Hoeper, and all of my previous coaches for always supporting me and helping me get where I am today. Finally I want to thank Coach Albiero and the Louisville Coaching staff for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity. Go Cards!
The Cincinnati native currently trains year-round with the Mason Manta Rays, primarily specializing in breast and IM. At the 2024 NCSA Summer Championships, Hicks threw down a series of personal best times and qualified for the U.S. Open in the 100 breast (1:05.00) and 200 breast (2:18.14). He also posted a Winter Junior Nationals qualifying time in the 200 IM (2:08.75).
Hicks is in his senior year at Archbishop Moeller High School, where he has swam for the Crusaders for the past two seasons. At the OHSAA Division I State Championship back in February, Hicks posted a 4th-place finish in the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:52.66 and a 7th-place finish in the 100 breast with a time of 56.81.
At the same meet, he helped his team to an 8th-place finish in the 400 free relay, anchoring the squad with a 47.33 split, and aiding the team to a 12th-place finish in the 200 medley relay, leading off in a 23.63 on backstroke duty.
Best Times SCY:
- 100 breast – 56.44
- 200 breast – 2:01.79
- 200 IM – 1:49.91
- 400 IM – 4:00.36
A Division I program in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the University of Louisville men’s team placed 4th out of 11 teams at the 2024 ACC Championships. The Cardinals went on to send nine swimmers to the NCAA Division I Championships, where they placed 15th overall.
To final at the 2024 ACC Championships, it took times of 54.51/1:57.99 in the 100/200 breast and 1:47.03/3:51.91 in the 200/400 IM, putting Hicks just outside the cutoff in a handful of events.
At a team level, Hicks should be a contributor throughout the season. Based on the times from 2023-24, he would have been the Cardinals’ 5th-fastest swimmer in the 100 breast, 5th-fastest in the 400 IM and 8th-fastest in the 200 IM.
The full list of commits for Louisville’s class of 2029 thus far includes Hicks, Szymon Misiak, Nate Thomas, Steven Owens and Ryan Henderson.
