Did you hear Millikin is bringing back wrestling? If not, now you have. I interviewed the new wrestling coach, Ryan Birt, and asked him why he wanted to coach here at Millikin. He was born and raised an Urbana Tiger and Central Illinois is his home. He told me that Millikin allows him the opportunity to do what he loves in an area that he is comfortable in. He believes that leading young men through wrestling while they are earning their degrees here at Millikin will continue to help them grow and move forward in life. Coach Birt wanted to be a coach in order to make a difference in the lives of young men just like himself. “Without the coaches and teachers I had growing up, that never gave up on me and brought out the best in me, I wouldn’t be here today” said Birt. His goal is to not just win NCAA titles, but to make the athletes he coaches understand the importance of fighting for things in life that are tough. Coach Birt is happily married and has four “awesome” kids.

I asked Coach Birt what his expectations for the upcoming season were, his response was, “as a coaching staff, we expect to bring in experienced and driven student athletes that will succeed at their highest level in the classroom and on the mat.” He would also like the Big Blue wrestling to establish itself immediately as the team to beat in the CCIW conference. He says their biggest plan is to put Millikin on the map as a national contender on the mat while excelling in the classroom.

When asked about how Coach Birt plans to prepare his team for game day, he told me that there is no situation or game any different or any harder than they will prepare for. Their training, conditioning, and individual match detail will be in place. They just trust their training and coaches/athletes to deliver consistent performances. “Our WILL to be great will be the excitement to each match” said Birt.

Coach Birt plans to host some youth and high school camps during the summer to get the community involved in the program. Also, promoting home meets during the season as well as attending other programs and events on campus like music, theatre, and other athletic events.

Lastly, what is Coach Birt’s personal philosophy? Well, ladies and gentlemen, his style of coaching is centered on pulling the most out of each individual on the team as well as himself and their assistant coaches. Capitalizing on their strengths while developing on their weaknesses and understanding what motivates the team. From Day One the development of their program will be to make average wrestlers great and top level wrestlers unstoppable. “Success is reaching places you have seen in your mind! Success at Millikin will be getting Big Blue wrestling to those places” claimed Birt.

I want to wish the new wrestling team luck on their upcoming seasons and check back to the sports section for wrestling coverage in the fall of 2015!