SPRINGFIELD, OH – The last time wrestling singlets were adorned with the iconic Wittenberg logo, the year was 1990, and the majority of Wittenberg’s intercollegiate athletics teams had just started competition in a new league.

Fast forward to 2025 and Wittenberg, which discontinued its wrestling program at the conclusion of the 1989-90 school year, has won more than 130 team championships across a variety of sports as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). While the league has never sponsored competition in the sport, calls from Wittenberg alumni to bring wrestling back have never ceased.

Those calls have grown louder in recent years until they reached a crescendo this year. A group of wrestling alumni stepped forward to support the University by providing financial backing to not only re-start Wittenberg’s men’s wrestling program but also offer a new women’s wrestling program as well.

“We are deeply grateful to our supportive alumni and friends who, as donors, are allowing us to expand our athletics offerings without requiring additional investments from the University,” said Wittenberg President Christian M.M. Brady, DPhil (Oxon.). “This model preserves our financial future and positions us to offer a program of great interest and an overall excellent academic and educational experience to our current and prospective students.”

Both teams will start competition in the 2026-27 school year, following a year that will be dedicated to recruiting. A search for a new coach is already underway.

“We are extremely excited about the reinstatement of our wrestling program, which will include a women’s team,” added Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Brian Agler, Wittenberg class of 1980. “Wittenberg Wrestling has a rich history of competitiveness and an extremely loyal alumni base. We are also thankful for the leadership and vision of a dedicated group of Tiger wrestling alumni, led by Louis Cannon and Chris Hackett, who have made this a reality.

The return of men’s wrestling and the introduction of women’s wrestling creates new competitive and academic opportunities for students who might not have considered Wittenberg previously. According to the most recent participation figures available from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), wrestling is the sixth-most popular sport for boys with more than 290,000 participants nationwide, and it is among the fastest-growing sports for girls with more than 64,000 participants.

In Ohio, wrestling has long been among the most popular sports for high school boys, and participation for girls has increased tremendously in recent years to almost 3,000 athletes. Locally, wrestling is also popular, with numerous high schools enjoying tremendous success, led by Graham High School in nearby St. Paris, Ohio, which has won 26 state championships and had dozens of individual wrestlers move on to compete in college.

As a result, Cannon, class of 1980, and Hackett, class of 1984, believe the time is right for the University to expand its extracurricular opportunities to include men’s and women’s wrestling.

“Brick-and-mortar institutions need to offer prospective students the opportunity to engage in social and sports endeavors, which teach them the impact of effort, sacrifice, team comradery, hard work, perseverance, and communication, along with their academics,” Cannon said, adding that sports, Greek life, and extracurriculars also enhance the University’s appeal, and support recruitment and enrollment.

“These recruits will substantively add to revenue, allowing the economic strength needed to support academics, as well as a well-rounded college experience,” he added. “Personally, I wanted a great education but also wanted to wrestle and play baseball in college. I simply wasn’t good enough for Division I. Witt can fill that same niche that appealed to me to thousands of high school grads. Sports and academics are a tough route — people that have done both successfully in college are those that I look for when hiring for my companies. Their work ethic is strong.”

Plenty of universities in the area sponsor men’s wrestling and compete in NCAA Division III, including three NCAC member universities – John Carroll, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wabash – and eight other Ohio universities. Region 5 of NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling currently includes 18 universities across four states (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan).

Thirty-three universities sponsored women’s wrestling at the NCAA Division III level during the 2024-25 school year, and that number is expected to grow exponentially. Heading into the 2025-26 school year, 112 universities across all NCAA divisions are offering women’s wrestling.

Reflecting that growth, women’s wrestling was approved for championship competition at the NCAA Convention in January 2025, with the first NCAA Women’s Wrestling championship event scheduled to take place in March 2026. With a majority of the universities sponsoring the sport competing in NCAA Division III, a proposal was recently submitted to establish a separate championship for the non-scholarship division in 2028.

Related News:

• Wittenberg Hosts Hundreds for USA Wrestling Youth Event (April 24, 2025)