Millikin University Men's Wrestling

Brendan Ladd joined the Big Blue Athletics staff as the Assistant Wrestling Coach in August 2022 and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2025.   Ladd has helped Director of Wrestling Ryan Birt guide the men’s program for the last three years leading the program to success on the mat and in the classroom. Ladd will take on additional duties in the program as Millikin adds a women’s wrestling program, which will start competition in 2026-27.    Prior to coming to Millikin, Ladd served as the Assistant Men’s and Women’s Wrestling Coach at Albion College for their first competitive season since 1979. A roster of mostly freshmen resulted in five All-MIAA athletes, two MIAA Champions, three National Qualifiers, and four NWCA Scholar All-Americans. Ladd also previously held a position as Assistant Wrestling Coach at SUNY Cortland for the 2020-21 season.   He attended Alma College from 2016-2020 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. He achieved NCAA Division III All-American status twice before the NCAA tournament was canceled his senior year. The NWCA then voted for Ladd to gain All-American status a third time. He achieved over 100 collegiate victories, numerous tournament titles, and was a three-year captain for the program. During this time Ladd also served as an Assistant Coach to the Mid-Mitten Wrestling Club.  

Former Millikin standout wrestler Dejon Glaster joined the Millikin wrestling coaching staff in October 2025. Glaster will play a key role in helping to launch the Big Blue women’s wrestling program that will begin competition in the 2026-27 season. Glaster will work with the men’s program as well.   During his career, Glaster was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American including a fourth-place finish in 2025. Glaster was a four-time College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Champion. Glaster finished his career with a 112-35 record. Glaster was a two-time Millikin team co-captain and was a CCIW Merle Chapman Award winner.   Glaster graduated from Millikin in 2025 with a degree in Sport & Recreation Management. He is a graduate of Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  

Assistant Wrestling Coach-Jason Eckenrod   Jason Eckenrod joined the Millikin staff as an assistant wrestling coach in May of 2015.  Eckenrod has played a key role in the Big Blue's rise to a national contender since the program returned to competition in 2015-16.  Eckenrod was a key member of the staff that received the 2022 Region Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year Award.  Eckenrod and Director of Wrestling Ryan Birt have teamed to lead the Big Blue to eight top two finishes in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and two top 10 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships.   Eckenrod brought over 20 years of coaching experience to the Big Blue program.  In addition to serving two years as a volunteer assistant at Millikin, Eckenrod’s experience includes coaching at high school, junior high and club levels.   Eckenrod wrestling collegiately for one season at Drake University where he scored 24 wins.  At Benton Community High School in Iowa, Eckenrod was 114-10 as a wrestler with three state places and four state qualifying performances.  He was also an All-State defensive back in football.   Jason and his wife Suzanne have a son, Jake, and one daughter, Lexie.      

Three-time Big Blue All-American Zac Blasioli serves as an assistant coach for the Big Blue wrestling program.   Blasioli was a three-time NCAA Qualifier finishing in fifth and sixth place nationally. He had a Millikin career record of 101-23. Zach was also a Scholar All-American   Blasioli graduated from Millikin with a degree in Sport & Recreation.    

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 nine seasons in-a-row including three straight CCIW Championships in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In the last 11 years, Birt has coached 27 CCIW Champions with five wrestlers earning CCIW Outstanding Wrestler Awards. Millikin has had 68 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 28 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, 30 NWCA Scholar All-Americans and 44 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 1st 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.