{"id":10407,"date":"2020-08-28T01:54:10","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T01:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=10407"},"modified":"2020-11-06T15:02:26","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T15:02:26","slug":"how-to-build-a-womens-wrestling-program-from-scratch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2020\/08\/28\/how-to-build-a-womens-wrestling-program-from-scratch\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a Women’s Wrestling Program from Scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: In late July, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced plans to postpone competition in cross country, football, soccer, and volleyball until the spring. Winter and spring sports are still under consideration.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI already feel bad for my future children,\u201d joked Bel Snyder \u201923<\/strong>. \u201cThey are going to have to hear the story of Minnesota\u2019s only collegiate women\u2019s wrestling team over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snyder is one of 10 women wrestlers who made history at Augsburg during the 2019\u201320 academic year\u2014a quarter century after the university founded the NCAA\u2019s first women\u2019s hockey team in the Midwest, followed by Minnesota\u2019s first varsity women\u2019s lacrosse team in 2014. That pioneering spirit drew Snyder to Augsburg, which received a Breaking Barriers Award in February at Minnesota\u2019s National Girls and Women in Sports Day event at the Minnesota History Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never felt such close bonds or such support,\u201d added Snyder, who\u2019s an elementary education transfer student. \u201cI am going to bleed maroon and gray for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green but Great<\/h3>\n

\"Coach<\/a>It\u2019s a young team with seven first-year and three transfer students who had never wrestled for an all- woman team until now. The roster includes some of the nation\u2019s top competitors, including Emily Shilson \u201923<\/strong>, who\u2019s considered the top woman recruit in the country by some wrestling news outlets. The 19-year-old finance student qualified to wrestle for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (which have been rescheduled for 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).<\/p>\n

How did a budding team recruit such champions? Meet Women\u2019s Wrestling Head Coach Max Mejia<\/strong>, a former Harvard wrestler who became a women\u2019s and skills coach for Arizona\u2019s Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, which produced 55 Olympic medalists in both men\u2019s and women\u2019s wrestling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn wrestling, you can control your destiny more than other sports. It\u2019s not about height or speed. Champions have mental toughness, diligence for detail, and a hunger to win,\u201d he said. \u201cMy goal is to produce the best women leaders in the world. When they graduate, I want them to understand how these traits convert to success in the real world. And I want the employers to gobble them up because they recognize what comes from that level of leadership, dedication, and grit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mejia focuses on process, knowing results will follow. He seeks to understand each athletes\u2019 hopes and motivations so he can help them play to their strengths for both athletics and career success.\u00a0Mejia empowers each wrestler to set her own goals: \u201cI know I have the discipline to do anything I put my mind to, and I\u2019ll have a great mindset while doing it,\u201d said kinesiology major Savannah Vold \u201922<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t see us as we are but as we could be,\u201d said Vayle-rae Baker \u201923<\/strong>, who ranks at the top of her weight class. \u201cThen he pushes us through self-doubt or\u00a0whatever is holding us back. I take more risks, and I\u2019m seeing the rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those strengths are showing. With an overall record of 4-2, Auggie Women\u2019s Wrestling ranked among the top\u00a010 programs in the NCAA as the team headed into the inaugural Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women\u2019s Wrestling Championships in early March. Augsburg finished in ninth place as a team, while Shilson claimed the national title to close out her inaugural collegiate season.<\/p>\n

NCAA Names Women’s Wrestling an ‘Emerging’ Sport<\/h3>\n

In January, NCAA Division II and Division III voted to add women\u2019s wrestling to its list of Emerging Sports for Women; in June, Division I voted \"Two<\/a>in agreement. The next milestone\u00a0for the wrestling community will be\u00a0to reach at least 40 NCAA-affiliated varsity women\u2019s wrestling teams, which is required to achieve official NCAA Championship status. At present, about 35 NCAA schools support women\u2019s wrestling teams.<\/p>\n

Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson \u201979<\/strong> is optimistic. \u201cWe have no doubt women\u2019s wrestling will build on our reputation as a \u2018wrestling school,\u2019 with our men\u2019s team having secured its 13th national title in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1995, Augsburg made history with the region\u2019s first women\u2019s ice hockey team, and now you\u2019re unique if you don\u2019t offer women\u2019s hockey. Then in 2014, Augsburg started the NCAA\u2019s first varsity women\u2019s lacrosse team in Minnesota, and now, here we are with women\u2019s wrestling,\u201d he said. \u201cAugsburg continues to be a pioneer for women\u2019s athletics, and we\u2019re invested in the success of women\u2019s wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Wrestling Co-Head Coach Jim Moulsoff<\/strong> is thrilled that Augsburg is creating opportunities for women to wrestle at the collegiate level. Girls\u2019 wrestling is the fastest growing high school sport, according to the U.S. Wrestling Foundation, yet Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the 30 states that haven\u2019t made girls\u2019 wrestling an official sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the past 18 years, I have helped out at junior freestyle summer trainings, and it\u2019s been amazing to see the growth of women\u2019s wrestling from no girls in attendance to hundreds each year,\u201d said Moulsoff, the 2015 and 2019 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n

Team of ‘Firsts’ Mentors Young Girls<\/h3>\n

Members of the women\u2019s wrestling team also are driven to share their knowledge and pave the way for the next generation of women wrestlers. Every one of the student-athletes has lived a first\u2014the first girl on a high school\u2019s wrestling team, the first match\u00a0a competitor forfeited because he \u201cdidn\u2019t want to wrestle a girl,\u201d the first time she saw women\u2019s wrestling at the Olympics (in 2004). They embrace the strength gained from those moments, but it is time for more women to have opportunities to wrestle.<\/p>\n

\"Coach<\/a>Nine years ago, Minnesota USA Wrestling began hosting open gyms at Augsburg every Sunday, and\u00a0four girls attended the first session. Earlier this year, about 60 girls showed up every week, even with weekend tournaments pulling some away. Baker said she and her teammates consistently volunteered to coach and mentor the girls, who ranged from 6 to 18 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started wrestling when I was 9, and I was the only girl on that team and the only girl on my middle and high school teams,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI look forward to coaching and connecting with the girls each week. My teammates and I want to show them they can do this, and show them there will be teams for them when they go to college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chad Shilson \u201993<\/strong>, women\u2019s wrestling director and coach for Minnesota USA Wrestling, said lifelong friendships seem to emerge at every practice, as girls experience wrestling with those who are similar in strength, weight, flexibility, size, and goals. \u201cThey get to be the iron that sharpens other iron,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The result: some of the top women wrestlers in the country, if not the world, have come out of the open gyms\u2014\u201chungry for the sport and everything it has to offer,\u201d added Shilson, the father of top-ranked Augsburg wrestler, Emily Shilson.<\/p>\n

Coach Mejia hopes to collaborate with USA Wrestling and other organizations to offer even more camps and open gyms (when it\u2019s safe and appropriate for public health regarding the coronavirus) for the estimated 300 girls who are wrestling at some level in the state. When they graduate from high school, Mejia said, \u201cI want them to have no doubt that Augsburg is the place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘We Keep Playing. … We Persist’<\/h3>\n

Word has gotten out. Alumni and friends of the university are tweeting their praises and sharing news coverage of the historic team. Children\u2019s book author and public speaker, Shelly Boyum-Breen \u201997<\/strong>, said the university\u2019s investment in women\u2019s wrestling is also an investment in girls and women in general.<\/p>\n

\"Augsburg<\/a>
Augsburg placed seventh in the NCAA women’s division at the Multi-Division National Dual Meet in Louisville, Kentucky, in January.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI was fortunate to be at Augsburg when women\u2019s hockey started, and I saw lives changing before my eyes. I\u00a0know firsthand the impact that\u00a0continues to make on those\u00a0women\u2019s lives,\u201d said Boyum-\u00a0Breen, who taught physical\u00a0education and coached\u00a0women\u2019s basketball at Augsburg. \u201cWhen we invest in women and our diverse communities, we invest in what\u2019s possible. We have to show it in action through media coverage. Kids\u00a0need to hear these stories\u2014boys and girls.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at the decision-makers, the percentages of coaches,\u00a0the funding gaps, and the near media blackout of women\u2019s professional and collegiate sports. And yet, we keep playing. And people keep watching. Because of the support that\u00a0exists, we persist,\u201d said Boyum-Breen, who also established grants to pay sports fees and equipment costs that functioned as barriers to participation for some Minnesota girls.<\/p>\n

Augsburg women\u2019s hockey coaches know better than most the kind of\u00a0investment and persistent leadership required to create and sustain a vibrant women\u2019s athletics program.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a leader\u2014it\u2019s scary,\u201d said founding Women\u2019s Hockey Head Coach Jill Pohtilla<\/strong>. \u201cI\u2019ve seen Augsburg, time and time again, make bold moves based on what makes sense and what is right,\u201d said Pohtilla, who was inducted into the Women\u2019s Hockey Association of Minnesota Hall of Fame in 2006.<\/p>\n

\"Women's<\/a>The women\u2019s wrestling program has made an immediate impact in the Athletics Department and has increased expectations for success, said Michelle McAteer<\/strong>, Augsburg\u2019s women\u2019s hockey head coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach Mejia was able to bring in a large and talented class for the inaugural season, and it\u2019s clear how skilled, determined, and committed these women are,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are representing Augsburg and our Athletics Department with great pride, and growing the profile of their sport at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are making history, living history,\u201d McAteer added. \u201cIt\u2019s a special team doing very special things.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Brief History of Women’s Athletics at Augsburg<\/h3>\n

1922<\/h4>\n

Women\u2019s basketball team assembles. Beginning in 1950, they earn a record of 125-5 over 15 seasons.<\/p>\n

1972<\/h4>\n

Title IX mandates equal opportunities in education, allowing women to participate on high school and college athletic teams. Augsburg basketball, gymnastics, tennis, and volleyball record their official inaugural varsity seasons in the Title IX era.<\/p>\n

1974<\/h4>\n

Softball is added as a varsity sport.<\/p>\n

1975<\/h4>\n

Women\u2019s track and field is added as a varsity sport.<\/p>\n

1985<\/h4>\n

Women\u2019s soccer becomes a varsity sport.<\/p>\n

1991<\/h4>\n

Women\u2019s cross country program begins.<\/p>\n

1995<\/h4>\n

Augsburg establishes the first varsity women\u2019s hockey team in the Upper Midwest.<\/p>\n

2003<\/h4>\n

Swimming and diving program begins.<\/p>\n

2014<\/h4>\n

Augsburg establishes the first varsity women’s lacrosse team in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

2019<\/h4>\n

Augsburg launches the only varsity intercollegiate women’s wrestling team in Minnesota.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: In late July, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced plans to postpone competition in cross country, football, soccer, and volleyball until the spring. Winter and spring sports are still under consideration. \u201cI already feel bad for my future children,\u201d joked Bel Snyder \u201923. \u201cThey are going to have to hear the story of <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":10410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,7],"tags":[90],"class_list":["post-10407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-featured-stories","tag-spring-summer-2020"],"wps_subtitle":"Augsburg Athletics continues trailblazing trend with Minnesota\u2019s only collegiate women\u2019s wrestling team","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/278"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10407"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10757,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10407\/revisions\/10757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}