Ryan Swan begins his seventh season as head coach of the Northern Illinois University men’s soccer program in 2023. Swan came to NIU on January 23, 2017, becoming the ninth head coach in program history. 

During his tenure, Swan has breathed new life into the Huskie program and brought NIU into the national spotlight during the 2021 season. 

The Huskies tied a school record with 15 wins during the 2021 campaign and won the Mid-American Conference double as regular season and tournament champions, a first for the program since 2006. NIU made its fourth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, advancing to the second round for the third time, and finished the season ranked 21st in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings. 

Swan was named the Gary V. Palmisano MAC Coach of the Year, becoming just the second NIU head coach, along with Steve Simmons, to win the award. 

NIU claimed numerous other honors during the 2021 season, with Nick Markanich collecting College Soccer News All-America and Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Third Team honors. Nick Markanich also led the nation with 16 goals and was named MAC Player of the Year for the second-straight season, while also collecting MAC Tournament MVP honors. He was joined on the All-MAC First Team by his twin brother, Anthony Markanich, Pepe Martinez and Martin Sanchez. 

Following the season, Anthony Markanich made school history as he became the first Huskie selected in the first round of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, going 26th overall to the Colorado Rapids. Nick Markanich was selected four picks later by FC Cincinnati. 

NIU was ranked for a school record six consecutive weeks during the 2021 season, climbing as high as 15th on Nov. 2. The Huskies won three games against ranked opponents, defeating No. 18 Marquette (Sept. 10), No. 4 West Virginia (Oct. 9) and No. 19 Akron (Oct. 30). The fourth-ranked Mountaineers were the highest-ranked foe NIU has beaten since 2008. The Huskies also finished the season with the nation’s eighth-best offense, averaging 2.45 goals per game. 

Off the field, Swan’s Huskies also continued to excel as Enrique Banuelos earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, becoming the second Huskie in three seasons to claim the award, and nine players received Academic All-MAC recognition. 

The Huskies then set a program record with 11 Academic All-MAC honorees in 2022. NIU also had six Academic All-District selections and earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the sixth consecutive season. On the field, NIU had a pair of all-conference honorees as Adrian Corona and Adrian Lara each claimed All-MAC recognition and the Huskies retained the Lewang Cup, a trophy they have held since 2018. 

During the 2020-21 campaign, Nick Markanich was named MAC Player of the Year, just the second in program history, while Harry Jolley became the second Huskie during Swan’s tenure to be named MAC Freshman of the Year. NIU recorded a season sweep of Akron for the first time since 1990, topping 15th-ranked Akron in DeKalb on March 14 and the 21st-ranked Zips on April 4 in Akron. The Huskies finished 22nd nationally in scoring, averaging 1.93 goals per game, and Nick Markanich finished tied for eighth in the nation in goals with nine, becoming the first Huskie to lead the MAC in scoring since 2006. 

In 2019, Swan’s Huskies retained the Lewang Trophy with a victory over Milwaukee and recorded the program’s first-ever win at West Virginia. NIU had four players earn All-MAC honors, its most since 2011, as Anthony Markanich, Nick Markanich and Alex Welch were named to the all-league first team while Jan Maertins claimed Second Team All-MAC. Maertins was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, becoming just the sixth Academic All-American in program history, and he was one of five Huskies to earn Academic All-MAC recognition. 

The Huskies won eight matches in 2018, Swan’s second season, the most for the program in seven years, including a victory over MAC rival Akron, who would go on to compete in the College Cup Final. The 2018 Huskies appeared in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 for two weeks and Kevin Rodriguez made history, becoming the first NIU player selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, as he was taken by Minnesota United FC.

Rodriguez was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team, NIU’s first all-region selection in three seasons, and claimed All-MAC First Team honors as well. Nick Markanich claimed the MAC Freshman of the Year award after scoring eight goals, the most by a Huskie since 2006, while Anthony Markanich and Jan Maertins were named to the All-MAC Second Team. Off the field, NIU had six Academic All-MAC honorees and two Academic All-District selections. 

In his first season with the Huskies, Swan began a rebuilding process that was highlighted by a season-opening, overtime victory over DePaul and a win over 10th-ranked Omaha, NIU’s first victory over a top-10 foe since 2008. Six Huskies earned Academic All-MAC honors in Swan’s first season while goalkeeper Drew Donnally earned the MAC Medal of Excellence. 

Swan joined the Huskies after spending eight seasons (2009-16) as the head coach at Drury University, recording a 106-47-8 (.658) record during his tenure as head coach of the Panthers. 

During his time at Drury, Swan led the Panthers to four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament (2009, ’12, ’14, ’16). In his final season of 2016, Swan guided 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’s Panthers posted 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.

Swan's Year-by-Year Record

Year

Record

Postseason

2009*

21-2-0

NCAA Tournament Second Round

GLVC Regular Season and Tournament Champions

2010*

11-7-0

2011*

13-8-0

2012*

12-5-2

NCAA Tournament First Round

2013*

13-7-0

2014*

16-5-0

NCAA Tournament Second Round

2015*

7-9-2

2016*

13-4-4

NCAA Tournament Third Round

2017

3-11-1

2018

8-9-1

2019

7-10-1

2020-21

5-8-1

2021

15-2-2

NCAA Tournament Second Round

MAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions

2022

5-8-4

Total

149-96-18

43-49-10 at NIU (106-47-8 in eight seasons at Drury)

*denotes season at Drury University