USD Magazine Fall 2020

TORERO ATHLETICS USD MAGAZINE

[ d r i v e n ]

he heat comes early this time of year in Reno. Fleeting morning cool is P L A Y I N G W I T H P U R P O S E T R o s s D w e l l e y c o n t i n u e s h i s u p w a r d t r a j e c t o r y by Mike Sauer

take between pushing himself and completely stretching his limits during the offseason. Dwelley can’t wait to get started this fall. “It’s such a dream to be able to do something you’re passionate about for a living,” he says. “Foot- ball means so much to me, and I know that I’m capable of getting better. That’s why I don’t take this opportunity for granted. I know I haven’t hit my ceiling.” To better understand how far Dwelley has come to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL — and subsequently becoming the first Torero to appear in a Super

For Dwelley, that task is braving the baking elements in order to get in the best physical shape pos- sible in advance of his third season as a tight end with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. The 16-game schedule can be a grind to even the hardiest of competitors, and Dwelley has learned the give-and-

door comforts the Biggest Little City in the World has on offer. “It got over a 100 [degrees] a couple of times last week,” Ross Dwelley ’18 (BS/BA) notes. “You’ve got to get out early to get a run in, but honestly, I don’t mind the heat. It makes you focus more on the task at hand.”

quickly overwhelmed by simmer- ing waves of Northern Nevada sun rising over the foothills to the east, causing early risers and all-nighters alike to beat a hasty retreat to the air-conditioned in-

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