Matt Zimmer
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The University of Sioux Falls is bucking a national trend by trying to start a wrestling program.
The Cougars also may be opening themselves up to Title IX compliance issues.
At the college level, wrestling is a declining sport. In the
1979-80 season, there were 374 NCAA wrestling programs, according to themat.com, a sports reporting Web site. Last season, the NCAA reported 222 schools with wrestling programs. The NAIA has only 29 programs.
Many of the lost programs were cut to help schools earn compliance with Title IX guidelines. Title IX is the federal law that mandates gender equity in college sports.
But the Midwest still has several top wrestling programs, including those at Augustana, University of Nebraska-Omaha and Augsburg College in Minnesota. USF thinks it can tap into that ready-made market.
“We felt like we could achieve two things by adding wrestling, “said USF athletic director Willie Sanchez. “We can get dedicated student athletes and we can enhance enrollment.”
USF president Mark Benedetto estimates the cost of starting a program at between $100,000 and $150,000 plus yearly costs.
Adding wrestling would give USF 10 men’s varsity sports compared with nine for women. Benedetto said USF only will add another sport if there is enough interest.
According to the NAIA’s Title IX compliance rules, schools can meet requirements if they “demonstrate that the interests and abilities of the underrepresented gender have been fully accommodated.”
USF has more female than male students, but officials believe the school’s sports programs currently meet the test.
“It’d be silly to start another sport just for the sake of having it, “Benedetto said. “If there was interest that came from the students, there’s not a doubt in my mind we’d start an additional women’s sport.”
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