Ryan Ludwig enters his 15th season as head coach of the Northern Illinois University wrestling program in 2024-25.
The 17th wrestling coach in NIU wrestling history, Ludwig has continued the Huskie wrestling tradition of success during his tenure at NIU.
Ludwig has coached 40 NCAA qualifiers, 14 All-MAC honorees, 35 MAC champions and 54 Academic All-MAC selections. The Huskies have reached double-digit win totals four times under Ludwig, scoring 10 wins in 2012-13 and 2014-15 in addition to the 13 in 2019-20 and 2023-24.
Elevated to head coach on May 10, 2011 after spending the previous six seasons as the assistant and then associate head coach under his predecessor, Dave Grant, Ludwig has amassed a 106-102 overall record, including an 37-55 conference mark. In his 13 seasons at the helm of the NIU wrestling program, the Huskies have extended their streak of consecutive NCAA qualifiers to 53 and four grapplers – Matt Mougin (2013), Steve Bleise (2017), Brock Hudkins (2017), and Shawn Scott (2016 & 2017)– reached the prestigious “Blood Round”, or the round of 12.
The 2024-25 season saw the Huskies post a record of 7-3 while going 6-1 in conference duals. NIU finished the season with a five-match winning streak. Blake West became the Huskies first champion at 125 pounds since 2007 as he punched his second straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Landen Johnson qualified for the NCAA tournament alongside West as NIU continued to compete on the national stage. Four different Huskies earned MAC Wrestler of the Week honors while West and Markel Baker went undefeated in conference action.
The 2023-24 season saw the Huskies go undefeated at home for the first time in over 40 years, win the MAC West Division Title, had a 7-1 conference dual record, and reached 13 wins for the second time in school history. The Huskies saw Blake West and Jacob Brya competed in the final bouts of the MAC Championship before qualifying for the NCAA tournament. The Huskies beat Central Michigan for only the second time since the 2002-03 season. The Huskies were in the top-5 in the nation for GPA from the NWCA, the highest for the program. Ludwig achieved his 100th career victory on December 19, 2023, as the Huskies defeated Kent State, Northwestern, and Harper College in a quad meet. It was the Huskies first win over Northwestern since the 2009 season.
The 2022-23 season saw the Huskies move to 52 consecutive years of having an NCAA qualifier, with Izzak Olejnik qualifying. Blake West, Javion Jones, and Terrese Aaron placed in the top-3 at the MAC tournament. At NCAA’s, Olejnik earned All-America status with an eighth-place finish. The Huskies posted a 5-1 MAC record with wins over Cleveland Stats, Kent State, Ohio, Buffalo, and SUIE.
At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Brit Wilson, Mason Kauffman and Izzak Olejnik were all crowned MAC Champions under Ludwigs direction. The trio continued their successes by representing NIU at the annual NCAA Championships. Wilson was named an All-American and Kauffman was tabbed an NCAA Elite 90 student-athlete, the first in program history.
In the condensed 2021 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NIU amassed an overall record of 6-3 and a conference mark of 5-2. Ludwig and NIU saw wins over the likes of Ohio, Clarion, Buffalo, SIUE and Bellarmine. Brit Wilson won his second-consecutive Mid-American Conference championship at 184 and four Huskies earned NCAA bids following the Northern Illinois University wrestling team's performance at the 2021 MAC Wrestling Championships. Brit Wilson became the first NIU wrester to place at the NCAA Championships since 2004.
Ludwig had one of his most successful seasons in 2019-20. The Huskies posted a 13-4 record, including a 7-2 conference mark, the most by a Ludwig-coached team and the most wins since 2004-05. Four Huskies qualified for the NCAA Championships, including Brit Wilson, who captured the Mid-American Conference title at 184, tied for the most under Ludwig’s leadership. To top it off, Ludwig was named co-MAC Coach of the Year, while Izzak Olejnik earned Freshman of the Year accolades.
The Huskies took another step forward in 2018-19 as seven of the 10 NIU wrestlers placed at the 2019 MAC Wrestling Championships, helping NIU to a school-record 98.0 points.
The 2016-17 season was one of NIU’s most successful campaigns under Ludwig. The Huskies finished fifth at the MAC Wrestling Championships with 96 points, just two points shy of fourth place. Ludwig took five wrestlers to the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, the most since 1985 when six Huskies competed in the NCAAs. With the run by the Huskie trio in 2017, NIU scored a school best 11.5 points, the most in an NCAA Championships since 2005-06 when the Huskies tallied nine points.
NIU enjoyed similar postseason success in 2015-16 as four wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City. At the 2016 MAC Championships, Austin Eicher won the title at 133, while three other wrestlers finished third to automatically advance to the NCAAs.
In 2012-13, Ludwig helped guide the Huskies to a 10-8 dual record, marking the first time since 2005-06 that the team notched double-digit dual wins in a single season. NIU also notched their 500th dual win in program history during the year, along with knocking off a Big Ten opponent (Indiana) for the first time since Dec. 3, 2009. The Huskies sent Matt Mougin to the NCAA Championships. Wrestling in his home state, Mougin came out as one of the tournament's big surprises by advancing to the final 12.
In his first season at the helm, Ludwig's Huskies recorded eight dual wins in 2011-12 - the most for the program since the 2007-08 campaign. Brad Dieckhaus and redshirt sophomore Kevin Fanta both earned bids to St. Louis for the NCAAs. Off the mat, the team won the men's Victors Cup competition for the second consecutive season for academic excellence, community service, and competitive achievement.
Ludwig began his tenure at NIU in 2005, spending his first six seasons on Dave Grant's staff, serving as associate head coach from 2009-11. As an assistant for the Huskies, he helped train 15 NCAA qualifiers, seven Mid-American Conference champions, including Dieckhaus, who was a 2011 MAC champions at 184 pounds, and one Midlands Tournament champion.
A native of Chelsea, Mich., Ludwig has been a driving force in bringing top talent to NIU. Year in and year out, Northern Illinois' recruiting classes have been ranked among the best in the nation. The 2007 recruiting class was rated as high as 20th nationally, while the 2008 class boasted an outstanding blend of in-state and national talent featuring six high school All-Americans, 10 state champions and one Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner. His initial recruiting effort brought athletes with outstanding credentials to DeKalb as well.
The 2006 recruiting class included four high school All-Americans. In 2007, the newcomers recruited by the coaching staff combined for six state titles, and included four All-Americans. More recently, Ludwig's recruiting as head coach has resulted in natives from his home state of Michigan such as Shawn Scott, Steve Bleise, Austin Eicher and Andrew Morse reaching the podium at the MAC Championships and qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Ludwig came to Northern Illinois after two seasons as an assistant at Minnesota State University-Mankato. While coaching the Mavericks, he helped guide the team to a third-place finish in the NCAA Division II Championships. Ludwig also helped produce and train eight All-Americans at MSU-Mankato. Prior to his work with the Mavericks, he served as an assistant wrestling coach for his alma mater, the University of Findlay, where he coached seven All-Americans and a national champion in 2002-03.
As a wrestler, Ludwig was a three-time NAIA All-American and a national finalist at 157 pounds. Elected a captain by his teammates, he was also voted Most Valuable Wrestler when the Roughnecks were NAIA national runners-up in 1999. Ludwig ranks third on Findlay's all-time win list with over 100 career victories. In high school, Ludwig was a Michigan state champion at 142 pounds in 1995.
Ludwig and his wife Jolene and have a son Hudson and daughter Harper. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2000 from Findlay as a double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice. He also holds a Master's Degree in Sport Management from Northern Illinois University.
