Ryan Monk enters his first season as an assistant coach after joining the program in June 2024.
Monk arrives in Castle Point after spending two seasons on the sidelines with at Baldwin Wallace, helping the program achieve a 33-4 dual record, while capturing two Ohio Athletic Conference crowns (to extend Baldwin Wallace’s streak to four), a Central Region Championship and a pair of top-six finishes at nationals, including a third-place finish in 2023. During Monk’s tenure at Baldwin Wallace, the team produced 16 national qualifiers, two national championships (Michael Petrella at 149) and seven All-Americans.
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In addition to his on-the-mat duties for the Yellow Jackets, Monk oversaw a team of student managers and was responsible for the program’s social media, where he achieved a 120% increase in engagement on Instagram.
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Monk first entered the coaching ranks at the University of North Carolina Pembroke, where he served as a student assistant for one year. During his time on the sidelines for the Braves, Monk coached six Division II national qualifiers and one All-American. Prior to joining the Braves’ coaching staff, Monk competed on the mats for two seasons, winning 21 matches and qualifying for the 2021 national championship after earning a Super Regional championship at heavyweight. Additionally, the Dallas, Pennsylvania native earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Communications (then the College Sports Information Directors of America).
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Before transferring to UNC Pembroke, Monk spent three seasons as a defensive lineman for Penn State University, where appeared in seven games and earned co-Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year honors during his first season in Happy Valley and was a member of the 2016 Big Ten champions.
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Monk earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from UNC Pembroke in 2022 and then completed his Master of Business Administration degree from Baldwin Wallace in May 2024.
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