In the world of elite and collegiate gymnastics, Janesville’s Kellen Ryan has been quite the standout. And it has little to do with earning several gymnastics accolades.

Surely, the 23-year-old owns several age-group competition medals and NCAA All-America status. But the cost was steep: several long journeys across two cities, no high school programs, and finally, relocating to Penn State.

“It was never about the accolades, it’s always been about how much I love the sport,” Ryan said this Tuesday night, wrote The Gazette’s Tom Miller on June 19. “It’s been quite the journey.”

Ryan, who started the sport at the age of 3-4, enrolled at the Madtown Twisters Gymnastics club located near Middleton on the West side of Madison. And his parents drove him from Janesville to Madison, five times a week, stayed for the 6-to-9 p.m. practices, and drove home.

But the situation worsened when he started attending Milton High School because no Wisconsin high school offers boys' gymnastics. The only meets he attended were Madtown Twisters and age-group meets.

In 2020-21, Ryan, a senior in Milton, hoped to join Minnesota or Iowa, both of which had programs. But even that dream ended when both universities dropped their programs at the end of the season.

Most could’ve given up by this point. But to Ryan, the sport was bigger than these setbacks. And he kept going.

Penn State Opened a New Path for Kellen Ryan

While pursuing a civil engineering degree in Minnesota, a phone call from a friend revived Ryan’s dream. A roster spot was opened, and he had to make the call to the coach. And eventually, he enrolled at Penn State as a graduate student.

He finished 7th in the all-around at the National Championships, earning All-American status, and placed 3rd in the all-around at the Big Ten Conference Championship meet. But he wasn’t done yet.

“The 23-year-old is training four or five times a week to prepare for next weekend’s U.S. Championships national qualifier in Colorado Springs, Colorado,” wrote Miller.

Set for June 25-27, 2026, this event will be held at the U.S. Olympic Paralympic Training Center and will prove to be a massive opportunity for Ryan, who has spent years chasing the sport he loves the most.

Do you think he’d succeed? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Deblina Roy