R

yan Terefenko sat in the San Antonio Plaza Marriott’s La Villita Ballroom alongside his Ohio State coach Nick Myers, eager to be a sponge for information.

In the ballroom was the U.S. senior national team coaching staff — notably John Danowski, Joe Amplo and Charley Toomey — along with several players who also served as college coaches, like Kyle Bernlohr, Jake Bernhardt and John Crawley.

Myers and Terefenko, coaching with the U.S. U19 team at Spring Premiere in January, were invited to sit in on the meeting.

For Myers, he was learning from colleagues. For Terefenko, he was learning from mentors.

“Ryan was tapping his foot a little bit,” Myers joked. “It was a really cool moment like, ‘I’m here with the best players in the world. I’m helping out Team USA. This is what my future looks like.’”

Terefenko, the fifth-year Buckeyes midfielder, got the opportunity to shadow Myers last summer. The experience included taking part in the U.S. U19 tryout process, opening him up to opportunities he won’t soon forget.

The meeting not only left him with plenty of useful tips, but it reinforced the fact that his dreams are tangible — and not far off.

“It was incredibly rewarding,” Terefenko said of the meeting. “I still have all those notes that I took from that meeting and look at them periodically.”

The road started in the small town in Pennsylvania, far from a lacrosse hotbed. Terefenko picked up the game after his brother, Zach, started playing when Ryan was in first grade. His brother was happy enough to teach him, but the relationship worked both ways.

“I was more of his wrestling dummy than like a brother,” he joked. “I remember him always kicking the crap out of me, and I would go cry to my mom.”

Soon, Terefenko’s passion for the game dwarfed his brother’s, and most members of the lacrosse community in town. By the time he attended Wilson High School, Terefenko knew he needed to seek more instruction.

For three years, Terefenko and his mother, Donna, drove to Philadelphia so he could train with NXT Lacrosse.

If there was no traffic and they did not hit any lights, the drive took at least 50 minutes. If they weren’t as lucky, it could take an hour-and-a-half. Either way, Donna and Ryan Terefenko left town at 4 p.m. two or three times per week and didn’t return until as late as 9:30 p.m.

The work was not in vain, however. Terefenko, as driven as most recruits, eventually found a match in Ohio State by his junior season. Myers was excited about his future middie, but he got a glimpse of just how motivated a player Terefenko was before his freshman season.

In January 2017, the incoming freshman traveled to campus for the Buckeyes’ prospect day. Terefenko stood out on the field during a scrimmage, but it’s what he said after the game that stood out.

“He comes up after the game and says, ‘Coach, what do I need to do to start next year? I want to play and contribute,’” Myers remembered. “Kids will say that from time to time, but there was a look in Ryan’s eyes like he wasn’t leaving camp before I gave him a list. That’s Ryan.”

True to his word, Terefenko played in 18 games his freshman year. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, he tore his ACL and, as a result, missed the Buckeyes’ eventual run to the national championship game.

That didn’t stop him from making an impact. On the sideline at Gillette Stadium, there was the freshman, picking up water bottles and shouting out the opposing offense’s plays to his defensive unit.

“It was just, ‘What can I do to give back?’” Terefenko said. “I took a lot of pride in trying to help them any way I could.”

“He was a freshman, he’s in a polo and he’s coaching his teammates from the sideline,” Myers said. “He’s not on the end of the bench. He’s in the box. I knew then that this kid is going to be a coach.”

Terefenko always thought he could be a coach, but as he grew into a leadership role for the Buckeyes, his passion grew. He paid close attention to Myers, one of the most energetic coaches in Division I lacrosse.

By 2019, he was a junior captain alongside Jeff Henrick. He made it a goal to be more of a vocal leader, and he continued to learn what it took to impact his teammates. He started talking about upholding the standard of Ohio State lacrosse. He quoted former Ohio State great Woody Hayes. He started to sound like Myers.

At the same time, Terefenko was a standout defensive middie on the field. A three-time USILA All-American, likely would have earned the nod a fourth time this spring had it not been for the pandemic. The Buckeyes’ active career leader in ground balls, Terefenko will be back for a fifth year.

Sensing the passion in Terefenko, Myers invited him to shadow him and his assistants last summer. Part of that experience included following the U.S. U19 team as it trained at US Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., and eventually in San Antonio.

With Team USA, Terefenko helped warm up the faceoff men and assisted Myers with setting up practices. He took the most value from listening to the experienced stable of coaches, whether it was Myers, assistants Pat Myers and Andrew Stimmel, or opposing coaches like Culver Academy’s John Posner.

“I’m roommates with coach [Tony] Resch, one of the most accomplished people in the business,” Terefenko remembered. “Coach Myers and Stimmel, I’m sure I’m a little annoying, but any opportunity I have for free time, I just pick their brains and take notes.”

The most common theme Terefenko uncovered: the importance of developing relationships with your players.

That lesson will apply not just to his coaching career, but also to his final season with Ohio State. Terefeko will be the program’s first three-time captain, and he’s ready for the challenge. Terefenko and Henrick have continued the team’s GroupMe chats and set up Zoom calls regularly.

According to Myers, there isn’t a thing Terefenko wouldn’t do to help his team.

“He’s a sled dog,” Myers said. “Being challenged isn’t for everybody. He’s uncomfortable not being challenged. He’ll push back, but at the end of the day, he’s a workhorse. He’s hungry and he’s humble.”

Terefenko’s dreams are ahead of him. He wants to become a college coach and compete for the U.S. senior team. He’s got one more run with Ohio State before his future begins.

Until then, he stays in contact with Myers daily, talking about anything from the team to the Michael Jordan documentary on ESPN, “The Last Dance.”

A documentary of one of the sport’s greatest players and leaders? Perfectly fitting for someone with his eyes on leading a group of men.