Northwestern hired Luis Rivera-Santiago as its first women's wrestling head coach in June 2025.
Rivera-Santiago held assistant and graduate assistant roles on Rik Dahl's men's wrestling staff since 2018, focusing on training and mentoring student-athletes, recruiting, and game planning. His competitive career continued alongside his coaching career, as Rivera-Santiago represented the Puerto Rican national team at the Central American, Caribbean, and Pan-American Games, further developing his skills in freestyle wrestling.
In addition to his work on and beside the mat, Rivera-Santiago has served as a volunteer with Chop Wood for Good and Kids Hope USA.
During his time as a wrestler at Northwestern, Rivera-Santiago qualified twice for the NAIA Championships, was a GPAC Champion, First Team All-Conference, and GPAC Outstanding Wrestler in 2017, and earned Second Team All-Conference honors in 2016.
A 2017 Northwestern graduate with a degree in sport management, Rivera-Santiago hails from Lake Havasu, Arizona and currently resides in Orange City with his wife, Morgan. He earned a graduate degree in sport management from Southern New Hampshire University in spring 2025.
