New AD keeps foot on the gas

builders” — candidates who can draw up plays on the clipboard but also inspire the people around them.

“We can be a D-III program and still provide student-athletes with a first-class experience that feels like Division I,” the new director says.

While the newcomer works to gain trust, he’s counting on a fired-up alumni base to set the tone.

“The people I’ve met speak so highly and so passionately about their time as Carthage student-athletes, it’s easy to feed off their energy,” Mr. Kane says. “They’re the biggest ambassadors for these programs.”

Carthage hired him away from Ripon College in central Wisconsin, where he held dual roles as director of athletics and men’s basketball coach. Mr. Kane relocated to Kenosha with his wife, Paige, and their three daughters.

He replaces Nate Stewart, who left the Firebirds to begin a new career path outside of athletics.

“Ryan’s success as both a coach and athletic director at small, private schools in the Upper Midwest made him the perfect choice to take over our thriving athletic programs,” says President John Swallow. “His expertise in leadership, management, recruiting, and fundraising allowed him to hit the ground running.”

Raised in Green Bay, Mr. Kane competed in basketball and golf while studying communications at nearby St. Norbert College. He then earned a master’s in sports administration from Valparaiso (Indiana) University.

As Ripon’s coach, he reached 100 wins faster than anyone in program history. As the Red Hawks’ athletic director, he oversaw a program that set school records with seven Midwest Conference championships and 195 academic all-conference honorees in 2022 alone.

“I love the private liberal arts approach to education and the skillset it provides,” he explains. “Carthage has struck the right balance between competing at a championship level and setting the environment for learning.”