Sports Spotlight: Century’s Ryan Brynjolfson

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Like most middle school boys, Ryan Brynjolfson had an excess of energy and an excess of time on his hands. That’s what first got him into track and field.

“When I was young, I always jumped and touched stuff like doorways, you know what I mean,” said Ryan Brynjolfson, Century senior. “I did that and I liked touching basketball rims, so that just kind of translated into track, and I just liked it a lot. In 6th grade I started and I just kind of did high jump and I think the 400. I wasn’t specialized in my events at that point but about 8th grade I locked in on hurdles and jumping and I just liked it, so I stuck with it.”

At the 2022 state track meet, Brynjolfson was the champion in the long jump and the high jump. Not only has this sport helped him accomplish personal goals, but it has also helped Brynjolfson grow incredibly close with his best friend, Brooks Turner.

“He’s always been there since middle school,” said Brynjolfson. “We’ve always been doing the same events. Having someone to always compete against has been really, really, really nice because you almost get meet reps every practice. Having that competition is really important. I think it’s an advantage for us.”

“We’ve done everything together, especially when it comes to track,” said Brooks Turner, Century senior. “We just always push each other in practice. We’ve known each other for a long time like I’ve said. Our abilities are pretty similar and so that just pushes us to compete against each other every day at practice and it just makes us better. It’s a great advantage to have every day.”

“Without Brooks, I definitely wouldn’t push myself as hard,” said Brynjolfson.

This fall, Brynjolfson will be heading to Cornell University, where he will be a track and field athlete in the Ivy League.

“I was kind of looking at football when I was a junior but then last year track just fit together so I decided to pursue that,” said Brynjolfson. “It kind of started out with NDSU and local colleges, but then my brother goes to Cornell, so I filled out a recruiting form there and they contacted me. And then I thought that was the best opportunity for me, so I jumped on it and got really excited about it.”

Ryan looks to add to his state track title total this week in Bismarck.

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