CHICAGO—Ryan Escasa's time with the Illinois Institute of Technology men's swimming & diving team can be described as an opportunity of a lifetime for reasons beyond athletics and academics. The chance to compete with, or against a sibling at a high level is a rare feat only few can attest to; such as Venus/Serena Williams (tennis), BJ/Justin Upton (baseball), Yadier/Jose/Bengie Molina (baseball) and Peyton/Eli Manning (football).
The chance to compete with, and for a sibling is another stratosphere that includes senior Ryan Escasa and current Scarlet Hawks assistant coach Julian Escasa '19.
"We left all the personal stuff aside and once we stepped into the pool, it was all business," said Ryan. "I think he (Julian) did an amazing job and treated the team well. We respected him, and he respected us. I loved every second of it! The biggest decision factor in me coming to Illinois Tech was knowing my brother was here."
The Escasa sibling duo were teammates from 2017-19 before they transitioned into an athlete/coach relationship from 2019-21. The 2017-18 Liberal Arts Swimming & Diving Championship saw the brothers team up in the 400 yard medley relay with Matthew Randle and Jay Korhonen, where they took fifth place with a 3:33.35.
Ryan Escasa's pre-Illinois Tech days included a three-season stint at Whitney Young High School (Ill.) before he transferred to New Trier High School (Ill.) prior to his senior campaign. The late transition left Ryan nervous in the initial stages before he settled in.
"It was really rough knowing it was my senior year and having to transfer schools," said Ryan. "I made a lot of friends at Whitney Young, so I was destroyed when I moved to New Trier. My teammates at New Trier turned out to be very welcoming, and I'm glad I made the change."
Three seasons later, Ryan isn't allowing the circumstances of a pandemic get in the way of projects for the greater good while doing what he loves. Escasa competed in the 2020 Great Chicago Charity Swim, a 5K open water event. The pandemic forced the 2020 event to go virtual, but that didn't stop Escasa from making a difference.
"The charity benefitted ALS research, Rush Hospital cancer research and big shoulders," said Escasa. "We swam a six-man 5K relay. I trained five months for it, which pushed me to stay active during quarantine."
Escasa made an impact for the Scarlet Hawks in 2019-20. The Liberal Arts Championship saw him register a second-place time of 1:55.47 in the 200 yard butterfly, followed by a pair of sixth-place times in the 400 yard individual medley (4:18.68) and the 200 yard individual medley (2:00.01).
The Scarlet Hawks swimming & diving teams plan to resume competition in 2021, check back at illinoistechathletics.com for updates.