Drexel University Athletics
Wrestling’s Ryan Hluschak ‘08: A Journey from Drexel to All-American and Beyond
2/15/2021 10:45:00 AM | Wrestling
Halfway through his freshman year of college at Lehigh University in the fall of 2003, Ryan Hluschak felt like he was missing something. He was on a football scholarship and had just finished his first season.
Excelling in both football and wrestling in high school, Hluschak was recruited by many schools. Some like Lehigh offering him football scholarships, and others like Drexel offering him wrestling scholarships. Hluschak had to make a difficult decision. He ended up choosing Lehigh and football. But after football season ended in the fall, Hluschak still felt like he could wrestle. Sitting in his dorm in Bethlehem, Pa., he emailed the head assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh.
"Probably not even a day later I got an email back and let's just say the rest of my freshman year at Lehigh I was going into the wrestling room almost every day," Hluschak said.
This allowed Hluschak to get some valuable experience against some of the best Division I wrestlers in the country, a turning point for him. From his dorm once again, he reached out to Jack Childs, the Drexel Hall of Fame wrestling coach who retired in 2011 as the active Division I leader in coaching wins.
"I knew that Drexel still had a need at the 157-pound class," Hluschak said.
Hluschak ended up transferring to Drexel to wrestle for Childs and made an immediate impact on the program. He notched 25 victories in his first season with the Dragons. In his second year, he led the team with 31 victories and earned himself his first of three NCAA Championship berths. Jack Childs was always a calming presence in the big moments, like the NCAA Championships.
"Childs always did a really good job at keeping it fun and relaxed which is huge," Hluschak said.
After a staph infection limited Hluschak's abilities in his first NCAA Tournament appearance, he broke through the following year in 2007. He led the team with 33 victories and finished eighth at NCAAs. Out of all of those victories that season, there is one that will always stand out to Hluschak.
In his match against the No. 2-seeded Brian Stith of Arizona State, Hluschak was the heavy underdog at the NCAA Championships.
"People were expecting this kid to win the whole tournament. To call me the underdog would be putting it mildly," Hluschak said.
With all the odds stacked against him, Hluschak stunned everybody. His takedown with 29 seconds left in overtime eliminated Stith. Hluschak earned NCAA All-American status at 157 pounds with that victory, becoming Drexel's second wrestling All-American.
"That win was the best sports moment, the one I'm most proud of, the most satisfying one," Hluschak said.
On top of being a Division I wrestler, Hluschak was able to complete three co-ops while at Drexel. It was not until his last co-op that he found what he was passionate about and wanted to do post-graduation.
"If it wasn't for my third co-op, I think it would've been unclear," Hluschak said.
In that final co-op, he moved from Philadelphia to Atlanta to work for a start-up company that focused on IT solutions. Hluschak's hiring manager made a great impact during his experience.
"She made all the difference in terms of helping me realize what I think I'm good at, passionate about, and also how to articulate that on my resume and when I'm applying for jobs," Hluschak said.
Today, Hluschak works in the Philadelphia area with SAP, a German multinational software company that is very popular in Drexel's co-op program. He has also stayed involved in wrestling, helping out at the Arsenal Wrestling Club in Boyertown, Pa.
As for the future, Hluschak has more goals he is determined to accomplish at SAP. Being in the Global Account Director position is one of them.
"I would be the CEO of a set of specific strategic accounts for SAP. Then eventually maybe grow into a Vice President or Senior Vice President role within SAP," Hluschak said.
Driven on the mat, his time at Drexel and his professional ambitions, he continues to excel more than a decade removed from University City.
Ryan Hluschak '08 File
* Drexel's 2008 John Semanik Award winner
* 2007 NCAA All-American, finishing 8th at 157 pounds
* 3x NCAA qualifier
* 4x Academic All-American
* 2nd in career wins at Drexel (121)
* 2nd in career pins at Drexel (30)
* Graduated from Drexel in 2008, B.S. Marketing
Excelling in both football and wrestling in high school, Hluschak was recruited by many schools. Some like Lehigh offering him football scholarships, and others like Drexel offering him wrestling scholarships. Hluschak had to make a difficult decision. He ended up choosing Lehigh and football. But after football season ended in the fall, Hluschak still felt like he could wrestle. Sitting in his dorm in Bethlehem, Pa., he emailed the head assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh.
"Probably not even a day later I got an email back and let's just say the rest of my freshman year at Lehigh I was going into the wrestling room almost every day," Hluschak said.
This allowed Hluschak to get some valuable experience against some of the best Division I wrestlers in the country, a turning point for him. From his dorm once again, he reached out to Jack Childs, the Drexel Hall of Fame wrestling coach who retired in 2011 as the active Division I leader in coaching wins.
"I knew that Drexel still had a need at the 157-pound class," Hluschak said.
Hluschak ended up transferring to Drexel to wrestle for Childs and made an immediate impact on the program. He notched 25 victories in his first season with the Dragons. In his second year, he led the team with 31 victories and earned himself his first of three NCAA Championship berths. Jack Childs was always a calming presence in the big moments, like the NCAA Championships.
"Childs always did a really good job at keeping it fun and relaxed which is huge," Hluschak said.
After a staph infection limited Hluschak's abilities in his first NCAA Tournament appearance, he broke through the following year in 2007. He led the team with 33 victories and finished eighth at NCAAs. Out of all of those victories that season, there is one that will always stand out to Hluschak.
In his match against the No. 2-seeded Brian Stith of Arizona State, Hluschak was the heavy underdog at the NCAA Championships.
"People were expecting this kid to win the whole tournament. To call me the underdog would be putting it mildly," Hluschak said.
With all the odds stacked against him, Hluschak stunned everybody. His takedown with 29 seconds left in overtime eliminated Stith. Hluschak earned NCAA All-American status at 157 pounds with that victory, becoming Drexel's second wrestling All-American.
"That win was the best sports moment, the one I'm most proud of, the most satisfying one," Hluschak said.
On top of being a Division I wrestler, Hluschak was able to complete three co-ops while at Drexel. It was not until his last co-op that he found what he was passionate about and wanted to do post-graduation.
"If it wasn't for my third co-op, I think it would've been unclear," Hluschak said.
In that final co-op, he moved from Philadelphia to Atlanta to work for a start-up company that focused on IT solutions. Hluschak's hiring manager made a great impact during his experience.
"She made all the difference in terms of helping me realize what I think I'm good at, passionate about, and also how to articulate that on my resume and when I'm applying for jobs," Hluschak said.
Today, Hluschak works in the Philadelphia area with SAP, a German multinational software company that is very popular in Drexel's co-op program. He has also stayed involved in wrestling, helping out at the Arsenal Wrestling Club in Boyertown, Pa.
As for the future, Hluschak has more goals he is determined to accomplish at SAP. Being in the Global Account Director position is one of them.
"I would be the CEO of a set of specific strategic accounts for SAP. Then eventually maybe grow into a Vice President or Senior Vice President role within SAP," Hluschak said.
Driven on the mat, his time at Drexel and his professional ambitions, he continues to excel more than a decade removed from University City.
Ryan Hluschak '08 File
* Drexel's 2008 John Semanik Award winner
* 2007 NCAA All-American, finishing 8th at 157 pounds
* 3x NCAA qualifier
* 4x Academic All-American
* 2nd in career wins at Drexel (121)
* 2nd in career pins at Drexel (30)
* Graduated from Drexel in 2008, B.S. Marketing
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