Ryan Holt ’10, of North Weymouth, Mass., is among the best student broadcasters in the country. Sportscasters Talent Agency of America, which compiles the annual list of the top 20 collegiate sports broadcasters from across the United States, named him No. 8. Holt served as a broadcaster for WCHC 88.1 FM since his first year at Holy Cross.
“It was a huge honor to be recognized along with some other great broadcasters from around the country,” he says. “The recognition is not just about me, but all the broadcasters that worked the games at Holy Cross.”
Holt, who majored in political science with a concentration in peace and conflict studies, came to Holy Cross with no radio experience, but plenty of passion for both broadcasting and sports. He served as studio host his first year, providing updates during the halftime of basketball games, and rose through the ranks of the student-run radio station. During his senior year, he was the president and play-by-play broadcaster of every sport, including football, basketball, and hockey.
“I think the best part of WCHC was the amount of growth we had during my four years,” he says. “We were the talent for the new online video packages that Holy Cross used to cover the games on GoHolyCross.com, and through that we were able to broadcast different sports,” says Holt.
With those experiences — and a broadcaster’s honor — on his resume, Holt is hoping to land a job in broadcasting or media relations.
“I have faith that if I continue to work as hard as I did at Holy Cross that I will someday achieve my goal of being a major play-by-play broadcaster,” he says.
In honor of this recognition, we asked Holt to name his five most memorable broadcasting moments during his four year career at WCHC.
- Witnessing the basketball halftime ceremony on Nov, 16, 2008, where the team retired the jerseys of Holy Cross basketball star players. “It was great to see the legends of the past at Holy Cross, because there is such a great athletic history at the school,” says Holt.
- Broadcasting for the football game on Nov. 14, 2009, when the team won the Patriot League with a 28-26 win over Lafayette. “It was the only time I was a play-by-play broadcaster for a Holy Cross team winning a league title and was one of the truly great moments in Holy Cross athletics history,” he says.
- Broadcasting for men’s basketball on March 9, 2007, when the team won the Patriot League title with a 74-66 win over Bucknell in the Hart Center. “This was the only Patriot League title for the team in my four years,” says Holt.
- Announcing for the men’s basketball game on Jan. 24, 2009, an experience which gave him a taste of national broadcasting. When Holy Cross beat American in men’s basketball, his broadcast was featured on ESPN-U.
- Broadcasting for the football game on Sept. 15, 2007, when the team beat Harvard 31-28 in a thrilling play with merely 19 seconds left in the game.
By Lindsey O’Donnell ’13
Pictured: Ryan Holt serves as studio host at the 2010 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Tournament for the Patriot League All-Access.
