Ryan Koester joined the University of Iowa Olympic strength and conditioning staff in August 2023. Koester is responsible for Baseball, Women’s Wrestling, and Men’s Golf. He came to Iowa from Illinois State University where he served as an Assistant Athletic Performance Coach for Football and Men’s and Women’s Golf for the past two years. Prior to Illinois State, he served as a strength and conditioning coach at Bystol Performance Center in Highland Park, Illinois, where he trained hockey, football, soccer, and basketball athletes at the high school and college level. Prior to BPC, Koester served as part-time strength and conditioning coach at the University of Illinois, where he assisted with Baseball, Volleyball, Track and Field, and Men’s and Women’s Golf.

Koester earned a master’s of health and human performance from the University of Montana where he worked with football and all Olympic sports throughout his 2 years there.

Koester earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Loras College where he played baseball for four years. During his time at Loras, he was a volunteer intern within the strength and conditioning program for all varsity sports. He also completed an internship with the University of Iowa in the summer of 2017.

Koester is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as well as being CPR/AED certified.