WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes University Director of Wrestling Jon Ladenslager '99 has announced the hiring of Ryan Peters as the Colonels new Assistant Men's Wrestling Coach on Wednesday morning.
 
Peters replaces Pankil Chander '17, who served in the role for two seasons before being hired as the head men's wrestling coach at Utica University last month.
 
Peters comes to Wilkes after an accomplished career as an assistant coach at Springfield College spending two years (2024-2026) at his alma mater. In two seasons at Springfield, Peters coached eight National Qualifiers, two All-Americans, and was named Assistant Coaching Staff of the year for 2026 NCAA Region 1.
 
"Ryan comes to us from Springfield, which has a similar rich wrestling tradition, so I am excited to introduce him to our team and alumni," stated Laudenslager. "I expect he will be a great addition to our program in the practice planning, individual development, recruiting and look forward to him helping us lead a great group of young men to great success," he added.
 
Peters also has spent time coaching at the club level including six years at Doughboy Wrestling Club where he coached multiple state (Massachusetts), New England and national championship wrestlers.
 
"I'm incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to join the Wilkes University wrestling family," said Peters. "I can't wait to get to work with our student-athletes, build meaningful relationships, and represent this program with pride. I'm excited to officially begin this next chapter in my career," he added.
 
Peters also enjoyed a standout career on the mat in both high school and college. He was a two-time New Hampshire State Champion, four-time team state champion and finished third at the New England Championship in 2014 before winning the title in 2015. Peters was named a three-time NHSCA All-American (2^nd/3^rd/8^th), Journeymen Classic Champion and ranked as high as 12^th in the country in the FloWrestling national rankings.
 
Following high school graduation, Peters started his collegiate career at SUNY Buffalo before transferring to Springfield where he earned Doug Parker Tournament Champion and ranked as high as 6^th in the country. He finished his career finishing in fourth place at the NCAA Region 1 tournament.
 
Peters owns a Bronze and Teal Coaching Certification from USA Wrestling and has also helped coach the Massachusetts National Team this year.
 
Peters graduated with his Bachelors degree in History in 2020 before earning his Maters degree from Springfield in Athletic Leadership with a concentration in Coaching in 2026.
 
Peters begins his duties at Wilkes on July 6.