Millikin Athletics

Since joining the Millikin Athletics staff in 2015, Head Coach Ryan Birt has taken a dormant program and developed it into a national powerhouse.  Hoping to capitalize on the successful men’s program, Millikin promoted Birt to Director Wrestling in 2025 to start a women’s wrestling program that will take to the mat in the 2026-27 season.
 
Under Birt’s leadership, Millikin has finished in the top two in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) for eight seasons in-a-row including three straight CCIW Championships in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In the last 10 years, Birt has coached 24 CCIW Champions with five wrestlers earning CCIW Outstanding Wrestler Awards. Millikin has had 62 CCIW All-Conference performers. Birt has been named CCIW Coach of the Year four times.   
 
Coach Birt has led Millikin to success on the national stage as well including in 2021-22 when he led the Big Blue to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division III National Tournament. He coached Bradan Birt to two national titles including in 2022 when we won the NCAA Championship and was named the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler. That year Ryan and Bradan became what is believed to be the fifth father son combination to in NCAA History to win an NCAA title. In the last 10 years, Millikin has had 27 national qualifiers, 21 All-Americans and four national finalists. As a team, Big Blue has five top 20 and two top 10 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships.
 
Birt is a leader in NCAA Division III wrestling being voted by his peers for several roles in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). He has been on the NWCA DIII Leadership team since 2020 and currently sits as vice president. Birt was selected President Elect and will become the NWCA Division III President in August 2026.
 
With Coach Birt leading the way, the Millikin wrestling program has had excellence in the classroom as well as on the mat. The Big Blue have had two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 24 NWCA Scholar All-Americans and 38 CCIW Academic All-Conference honorees.
 
Birt came to Millikin with over 16 years of wrestling coaching experience at the club, high school and collegiate level.  Birt is an accomplished wrestler earning an NCAA National Championship and twice earning All-American status.
 
Prior to coming to Millikin, Birt was the Associate Head Coach at Loras College in Iowa.  Birt joined the Loras staff in 2010 and he helped the Duhawks wrestling program become a top 20 program.  In 2013-14, Loras finished 14th in NCAA Division III and earlier this season the Duhawks were ranked as high as eighth in the nation.  Birt was named the NCAA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014.  He has coached nine NCAA qualifiers, five NCAA All-Americans and one NCAA Champion.  He helped Loras raise over $100,000 to renovate team locker rooms and a wrestling room.
 
Birt started his coaching career in 2000 as an assistant coach at Forest City, Iowa High School.  He then moved to Gibson City Melvin Sibley High School where he became head coach in 2002.  He compiled over 150 dual meet wins, three regional championships and two sectional championships while at Gibson City.  Birt qualified 20 individuals for the Illinois (IHSA) State Tournament, including 11 place-winners and two state champions.  In 2003 Birt was inducted into Urbana High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
Birt wrestled and played football at Upper Iowa University.  His wrestling career included a perfect 39-0 season and NCAA National Championship in 1999.  He was a two-time All-American and an NCAA runner up in 1997.  He was twice an Iowa Conference Champion and named the Iowa Conference’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.  He was also voted unanimous 1^st team all-conference linebacker in football in 1999 at Upper Iowa.  In 2010 he was inducted into the Peacock’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  Birt graduated from Upper Iowa in 2000 with degrees in Physical Education and Secondary Special Education.