Millikin women’s wrestling set for inaugural season opener

Decatur, IL – The Millikin University women's wrestling program will make history on Thursday, November 5, when the Big Blue embark on their inaugural campaign against Blackburn College.

This season, Millikin opens its competition schedule against Blackburn on November 5. Shortly after, the Big Blue will travel to Illinois Wesleyan for their first-ever dual against a CCIW opponent. After returning home for the Millikin Invite on November 14, the Big Blue will travel to tournaments at UW-Eau Claire (November 21) and North Central (December 13). Millikin will also have duals at nationally ranked No. 15 Aurora University (December 3) and at home against Westminster College (December 19).

After the holidays, the Big Blue resume competition at the Augustana Duals on January 2. Millikin will also attend the Missouri Baptist Open on January 15, before taking on nationally ranked No. 3 North Central College at home in a dual on January 20. The postseason begins on January 24 at the CCIW Championships. After the Augustana D3 Invite (January 29-30), the Big Blue will head to the NCAA Regionals in Tiffin, Ohio, on February 19 and 20. If qualified, Millikin will compete in the NCAA National Championships on March 5 and 6.

Millikin's inaugural roster features 31 student-athletes from all over the map. The roster, which represents nine different states, features 28 freshmen, one sophomore and two juniors. Four are transfer student-athletes, who bring prior experience at the collegiate level.

Director of Wrestling Ryan Birt is in his 12th season leading the Millikin wrestling programs. He is joined by second-year assistant coach Dejon Glaster, 12th-year assistant Jason Eckenrod, first-year assistant coaches Joey Jens and Sabri Sino, and volunteer assistants Zac Blasioli, Jordan Carson and Joe Fiore.

"We're extremely excited to finally get our women's wrestling program on the mat and competing," said Birt. "We've brought together a great group of young women who believe in what we're building here at Millikin and are ready to put in the work. This is a historic moment for our program, but our focus is on building a championship culture and establishing Millikin women's wrestling as one of the top programs in the country."

Millikin will open its season on Thursday, November 5, at home against Blackburn. First bout is set for 7 p.m.