Men’s Football
Top 10 Football: No. 1 Western dominates No. 5 Ottawa, clinches first place in OUA
U SPORTS sits down with one key athlete, coach, and staff member of each U SPORTS athletic program in our interview series “Getting to know…”
- Name: Ryan Wengelinski
- School: University of Manitoba
- Sport: Football
- Position: Right Tackle (Offensive line)
- Year of eligibility: 4
- Program: Arts
- Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.
1. What attracted you to University of Manitoba?
I’m from Winnipeg and grew up five minutes away from campus. I always looked up to Bison athletes and always wanted to end up there.
2. What’s your favourite memory, and your greatest athletic achievement as a U SPORTS student-athlete?
My favourite memory would be my first career start. My greatest achievement would be coming back from an ACL tear in 2017. There were times during rehab where I doubted myself, but I'm glad I worked through it and made a full recovery.
3. Where are you hoping your path will take you after university?
I'm majoring in Criminology with a minor in Native Studies. I've always wanted to help people, so I see myself in a field where I'm able to help the community to the best of my ability.
4. Who’s had the greatest influence on your athletic career?
Blair Schapansky, my minor bantam football coach. He always believed in me and was the first person to tell me to take football seriously. He pushed me to go to a competitive AAA high school – Vincent Massey – to further my development as a player. Without his influence I would not be where I am today.
5. Who is someone in the sports world, past or present, with whom you’d love to have dinner with? Why?
I would love to have dinner with LeBron James. I think everything he has accomplished as an athlete is absolutely incredible. I am even more interested in his work off the court. He is a great example of what it means to be more than an athlete.
6. What is your pre-game ritual? Do you have any superstitions/idiosyncrasies around preparing yourself for a game?
Before every game, I jump in the shower with my equipment on and run the water over my head and shoulder pads. I always feel like it wakes me up and gets me ready to roll.
7. What’s your go-to song to get pumped up for practice or a game?
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica.
8. What’s your favourite social media account to follow?
Barstool Sports.
9. If you could try another sport, what would it be and why?
I would try soccer. I think it would be awesome to worry more about my hair than the sport itself.
10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as an athlete?
When I was 13, I was kicking field goals after practice. I accidentally ended up kicking into a nail that was burrowed into the grass and it broke two bones in my foot. I later got a bone infection and had to be on antibiotics for half a year. All in all, it was an absolute debacle and not my proudest moment as an athlete.