Some 4-year-old boys spend the majority of their time playing with toy trucks and G.I. Joe action figures. But at that tender age, Ryan Lang was busy being his own, real-life action figure.
“I’ve been involved in wrestling for as long as I can remember,” Lang said. “Everything’s about wrestling.”
Lang started wrestling at age 4 in local YMCA tournaments, but next winter he’ll perform on a much larger stage — competing in the nation’s premier wrestling conference.
He’ll bring 14 years of experience to the Northwestern wrestling team as he tries to help the squad improve on last season’s 5-12 record.
“When Ryan steps on the mat, he knows he’s going win, and his opponent knows he’s going win,” NU coach Tim Cysewski said. “He has an aura about him.”
Lang’s commitment to NU played a big part in the Wildcats recruiting class earning a No. 7 national ranking — third in the Big Ten behind only Minnesota and Michigan. Lang and four other highly touted recruits have Cysewski listing this year’s class among the best in NU history.
Lang put together a record-breaking career in his four years at St. Edward’s High School in North Royalton, Ohio. He became only the second wrestler in Ohio Division I history to be crowned a four-time state champ. Lang finished his senior season with a perfect 40-0 record, complete with 123 takedowns, and also won the 2002 Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D.
“We’ve had some great ones in the past, and Ryan definitely ranks right up there with the best of the best,” St. Edward’s coach Greg Urbas said. “He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever coached, and he will be missed.”
Lang hasn’t had to deal with much losing in high school — he won his last 66 matches — but said he is eager to put his high school days behind him and accept the new challenge of wrestling in the Big Ten.
“Throughout high school, I was always fighting to defend my spot, but now I’ve got to remake that name for myself,” Lang said. “Wrestling in the Big Ten is a great opportunity to go up against the best in the nation and show my stuff.”
Cysewski said Lang will have the opportunity to fight for a starting spot next year, but he would like to see his new recruit in a heavier weight class than he was at in high school. Lang could bulk up from his 135-pound high school weight to 141 or even 149 pounds at NU.
“The intensity he brings demands a lot out of him, and that will positively affect the whole team,” Cysewski said.
Lang is well aware of the expectations and has wasted little time in setting some goals for his athletic and academic college career.
“I want to be a four-time All-American, national champion, and eventually go on to Kellogg for graduate school,” Lang said.
