Reittinger loving her new college adventure

When one door closes, another will open and often, it is like nothing you would ever expect.

That is what Bethel graduate Rhyan Rettinger is feeling as she prepares for her junior year at Walsh University.  The former Bees multisport athlete has found a new love after a rough college soccer experience, now she is part of something brand new to her as a member of the Walsh rugby team.

Reittinger had a stellar basketball and soccer career with the Bees before accepting a college scholarship to play soccer at Notre Dame College in Northeast Ohio. After one year, the school cancelled their soccer program and Reittinger was on her way to Walsh to play soccer until a new venture fell into her lap. “We heard around February of 2024 that it might happen,” Reittinger said about the sport being cancelled, only to get confirmation in April. “Me and my roommate started looking around to try to go to the same school then I reached out to Walsh University.” After being told she would have to basically restart with the new program by playing on the JV team, she chose another path.

“A friend at Notre Dame played rugby and my boyfriend played rugby and then Walsh bought out the Notre Dame College rugby program so everyone at Walsh on the team ended up being from Notre Dame and since I knew them, I figured why not…lets try,” she said. Reittinger had several people work with her since she knew nothing about the sport.

“I had a couple of people come down to my house in the summer to teach me some things, before I literally changed my life,” she said. “After I reached out to the coach, she said she would give me a scholarship right away as a walk-on.” It was definitely a change for her, and her parents who at first were not too sure what to expect.

“My parents were not super happy about it at first, and for me I was super cautious and thought it was nowhere near soccer,” she admitted. “You can hurt everything out there and they told me if I played scared, I would get hurt.” “My first game we played against Ohio University and it was really scary, but in that game I scored three “trys” which in the scoring system is similar to a goal in soccer, or a touchdown in football.” She also is their kicker for the conversion and those are worth two points each.

“There are so many rules and sometimes I still don’t know what I am doing,” she said. This past season, Reittinger ended her season with a concussion but is ready to go with a new season. “It was overwhelming at first and I wasn’t sure I should do it, plus I was a newbie and I have never been like that since I played all my sports since I was a kid,” she said. “I like to know everything and try to be the best at what I can be but you can’t if you don’t know it.” Eventually, she settled in and the sport has become something she loves. “I love it,” she said. “It honestly keeps me in shape better than all of my other sports and I have made so many new friends. It has made me love college and it is a brand new window. Just try it.”

Reittinger is currently majoring in early childhood education and intervention specialist.