DeKALB — Ryan Swan, who is originally from Scotland, has spent the last eight seasons coaching Drury University’s men’s soccer team in Springfield, Missouri. During his tenure, he has accumulated a 106-47-8 record and has made four appearances to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

“[Swan] just stuck out,” Frazier said. “He brings great experience as a head coach and also a lot of energy and passion to the position.”

Swan will take his coaching talents from a successful Division II team to a Division I team that finished 2-10-4 last year.

“I was delighted to get the offer, and it’s exciting for myself and my family,” Swan said. “When I came up and visited [NIU], I had a great feeling about the school and the athletic department.”

Swan said he is looking forward to the future and expects positive results immediately going forward.

“The team has gone through great success and has faced recent challenges,” Swan said. “There’s a potential for us to be something special.”

Swan’s optimistic attitude and the high expectations he has for the team are one of two of the things Frazier appreciates about him.

“When I get a [prospective] coach that looks me in my good eye and says ‘this program can be every bit as good as the national programs in the conference,’ that gets me excited,” Frazier said. “His objective is to take this team [to great heights].”

Frazier said he is not concerned about bringing in a coach who only has experience in Division II athletics. He said he compares this situation to what he experienced before hiring Lisa Carlsen, women’s basketball head coach. Carlsen was brought here two seasons ago from a Division II athletic program at Lewis University and is having great success with the Huskies at the Division I level.

Swan said he prides himself on the relationship he built with his players throughout his tenure because of all the congratulatory messages and phone calls he received from former players after he was hired at NIU.

“I’m a competitor, and I like to win,” Swan said. “My expectations for student-athletes are very high, and I’m very excited to get out there on the field and get this thing started.”

NIU athletics recently installed a new slogan for the athletic program “Hard work pays off. Period,” and Frazier believes Swan is a perfect fit .

“He epitomizes what that [slogan] is all about,” Frazier said. “He is going to grind every rock and put together a skillful team and have success.”