DECATUR, Ill. – When aspiring student-athletes get their first look at Millikin University Wrestling's new facility, they can’t believe it is a crucial piece to a very successful NCAA DIII program.
“They are blown away by it. We’ve had recruits who have been all over to Olympic training centers and Division I facilities, and they didn’t have anything like this. They tell me that this is incredible,” Millikin Head Wrestling Coach Ryan Birt said. “The guys love it, and to have a facility this size, for this size of school. This is DI quality.”
The ownership of Millikin’s previous wrestling facility, located at 151 West Wood St., changed hands last fall, and the team was forced to practice at alternate locations last season, including bringing the wrestling mats out to Frank M. Lindsay Field and the Workman Family Softball Field.
Former Millikin Board of Trustees member Ben Andreas worked with Birt to find the Big Blue a new location, settling on a spot at the Fairview Shopping Center near Millikin’s campus off of Oakland Avenue. The spacious location allows the team to spread out more than in their previous location.
“We love it here. It gives us the opportunity to do what we do. The difference here is that before we had our video room, storage room, my office, the massage chair, that was all in one room,” Birt said. “Now the massage chair has its own room, the storage room has its own room, and I have my own office. Everything has its own place, and there is less congestion.”
Birt realizes that a new facility doesn’t necessarily mean that success for the team is guaranteed, and his staff needs to continue their focus on building a team around living a championship lifestyle.
“I always keep it in my head that it is a double-edged sword. Having something like this doesn't mean you just win. It helps you, but you still have to understand the philosophy of how to grow your athletes as men,” he said. “It does help to have a better facility, but it also makes you understand as a coach that when you start getting the culture right, you have to bring in really good kids who know they want to be here.”
Last February, the Big Blue finished in second place at the CCIW Wrestling Championships.\
Millikin has had a remarkable run of success, finishing in the top two spots at the CCIW Wrestling Championships for the last seven years, including a second-place finish last season. Three wrestlers – Zac Blasioli, Dejon Glaster, and Nathan Callaway – went on to compete at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, with Blasioli and Glaster earning All-American honors.
Glaster and Callaway return to compete this year, and Birt is looking for several wrestlers to continue their progression and become among the top wrestlers in the CCIW.
“Our coaching staff’s philosophy here is development. We’ve got a lot of returners, and this coaching staff will continue to develop them. Guys are ready to step up, and I feel like we're going to be good,” Birt said. “I'm just excited. I love coaching these kids and bringing in the group of kids we have. Their GPAs are as high as ever, which makes me happy and means fewer outside distractions. We know the quality of kids we are trying to bring in has matched our goals.”
The new facility will see its first action on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Blue-White Dual, an intra-quad scrimmage match at 11 a.m. The team then moves to their usual match locations at the Griswold Center when they face Milwaukee School of Engineering on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and Elmhurst University on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.
