DEKALB, Ill. – Ryan Swan has been named the head coach of the Northern Illinois University men’s soccer program, NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier announced on Monday.

“I’m excited about bringing Ryan Swan to NIU as our new men’s soccer head coach,” said Frazier.  “He brings great experience as a head coach and also a lot of energy and passion to the position. He’s a proven winner with a track record of success both academically and athletically. I think he’s a great choice to lead our program and I’m happy to welcome him and his family to the Huskie Family.”

Swan joins the Huskies after leading the Drury University men’s soccer program for the last eight seasons, recording a 106-47-8 (.658) record during his tenure as head coach of the Panthers.

“I’m delighted to have this opportunity and I am very thankful to Mr. Frazier and everyone on the search committee for selecting me to lead the NIU men’s soccer program,” said Swan. “As soon as I got on campus, I had a feeling of the sense of community within the athletic department and it was exactly what I was looking for in the next stage of my career. I can’t wait to get started at NIU and to be competing in the MAC, which I think is a fantastic conference.”

Swan’s eight seasons in charge at Drury included four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament (2009, ’12, ’14, ’16). This past season, Swan led Drury to a 13-4-4 overall record and the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, where they were eliminated on penalty kicks by Rockhurst. The Panthers were ranked 20th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II national poll.

During his first season as head coach at Drury in 2009, Swan guided the Panthers to a 21-2 overall record, winning the school’s first Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season and tournament crowns, while also making the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Drury defeated Northern Kentucky in its first NCAA Tournament match before bowing out to Lewis in the Sweet 16. Swan’s Panthers were ranked as high as No. 2 nationally and he was named the GLVC Coach of the Year and NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year.

In 2012, Swan’s Drury team finished with a 12-5-2 record and reached the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament while in 2014 the Panthers recorded a 16-5 mark while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Drury has had seven NSCAA All-Region First Team honorees and five Second Team honorees during Swan’s eight seasons. The Panthers have also had 15 First Team All-GLVC selections during Swan’s tenure.

In addition to their on-field success, Swan’s Panthers have been awarded the NSCAA Team Academic Award for seven consecutive seasons and, in 2015, won the Drury University Team Academic Award for the highest overall men’s GPA with a 3.54 team average.

Swan began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with both the men’s and women’s soccer teams at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., from 2002-04. Following his time at Williams Woods, he moved on to an assistant coaching position at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., where he spent two seasons working with the nationally-ranked Columbia men’s soccer program.

In 2006, Swan joined the staff at Drury, where he served as an assistant with both the men’s and women’s soccer programs before being promoted to head coach of the men’s team prior to the 2009 season. From 2010-12, Swan also served as the NSCAA Missouri State Technical Coordinator.

A native of Perth, Scotland, Swan attended Truman State, where he was a two-time NSCAA All-Region First Team honoree as a player for the Bulldogs and went on to play semi-pro soccer for the Des Moines Menace and the Kansas City Brass following his collegiate career. Swan earned his bachelor’s degree in Communication Science from Truman State in 2000 and his master’s in Business Administration from William Woods in 2004.
 

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