Ryan Bowerman started his volleyball coaching career as the president of the Wabash College volleyball club team and an assistant at nearby North Montgomery high school. Now the North Montgomery and Wabash graduate is returning home to coach the Wabash men’s volleyball program.
Bowerman returns to his home community from New Orleans, where he has been the assistant for the women’s volleyball team at Xavier University of Louisiana since June of 2019.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be back at Wabash and be a part of that community,” Bowerman, who served as the student president of the Wabash College volleyball club from 2007-11 said. “It’s exciting to see a new program. So having the opportunity to come back there as a varsity sport and be a part of that is pretty exciting.”
Bowerman was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association NAIA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019 after helping the Gold Nuggets’ team advance to the NAIA national championship site for the first time in school history.
“I look forward to Ryan’s leadership of our volleyball program,” Wabash athletic director Matt Tanney said in a press release this week. “His familiarity with the College and strong knowledge of the game provide a solid foundation to build a competitive Division III program that supports our scholar-athletes’ growth and personal development, both in the classroom and on the court.”
Bowerman also has coaching experience as a head coach for the Indy Juniors Volleyball Club in Zionsville for six seasons, and spent two seasons as an assistant at IU Kokomo while earning his master’s degree.
The Wabash job will be Bowerman’s first experience coaching males, but is confident he can build a successful program quickly, citing growth in the sport in the midwest.
“I think men’s volleyball in Indiana and in the midwest in general has really grown, and I think there’s a lot of high school athletes that are looking to play volleyball at the next level,” he said. “So I’m hoping to bring in some good student athletes right away, and build on the roster that’s already there. It’s a place that I think can be pretty successful even within the next couple of years. I think there’s a lot of room for quick growth in the program.”
Bowerman thinks Wabash will be a perfect fit for student athletes to continue their athletic careers while receiving a quality education experience.
“I’m hoping that pretty quickly we can have some success,” he said. “Wabash has a lot of good athletic programs, and it’s a draw for a lot of athletes just to be able to come to a place to play right away or play at a higher level without it being their entire lives,” “Wabash offers such a well-rounded opportunity for student athletes. They get to be involved in a lot of things, and get to continue playing a sport they love.”
Bowerman will begin his duties in early December, as Wabash is hoping to see a return in all athletics after Jan. 1.
