Women’s wrestling is on its way to John Carroll, starting in 2023-24, the University announced July 15.
The decision to add women’s wrestling to the school’s 24th varsity sport is historic.
JCU is the first Jesuit school in the United States to offer women’s wrestling and the first in the Ohio Athletic Conference. It is also the first time in a decade that JCU has added a sport – women’s lacrosse was added in the summer of 2012.
The announcement comes a month after the 50th anniversary of Title IX. According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, more than 100 colleges nationwide offer the sport to women. In 2020, the NCAA recognized wrestling as an emerging sport for wrestling.
“This is a historic moment for John Carroll Athletics,” the JCU Athletic Director said. Michael Morgan in a prepared statement on JCUsports.com. “Wrestling has a strong tradition not just at JCU, but in Ohio State. We are excited to provide more opportunities for talented women to compete in athletics at John Carroll. This is a major milestone as we seek to provide diverse opportunities to current and prospective John Carroll students.
Mark Hawald, who is JCU’s Men’s Wrestling Head Coach, will also serve as the Women’s Head Coach.
“For nearly 60 years, the fight at John Carroll has shaped generations of men. Now we have the opportunity to impact generations of women and shape women leaders,” Hawald said in a statement. “What this college and wrestling program has to offer is special. The timing is perfect. I have worked very hard to achieve this goal, and it is exciting to see it come to fruition. It wouldn’t be a reality without the support of people across campus.
The Blue Streaks have a solid history in wrestling, dating back to when the late coach Tony DeCarlo led the school to its only National Tag Team Championship in 1975. Over the course of the program’s history, he has had 16 finishes in the top 10 of the NCAA Division III Tournament. , 16 individual national champions, 31 conference championships and more than 100 All-Americans.
The rise of women’s wrestling at JCU coincided with girls’ wrestling at the high school level. In January 2022, the Ohio High School Athletic Association added women’s wrestling as a sanctioned sport. In 2023, the first Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament will be held alongside the Boys’ State Tournament at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.
