Ex-Wartburg All-American new Buena Vista AD

Jack Denholm, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American wrestler at Wartburg College, has been named the athletic director at Buena Vista University, the school located in Storm Lake, Iowa announced Monday.

Denholm earned All-American honors for the Knights by placing fourth in the 177-pound bracket at both the 1988 and 1989 NCAAs. He graduated from the Waverly, Iowa school in 1990. He later earned his Master of Arts degree in Sports Administration from Mankato State University (Minnesota) in 1992.

Jack Denholm

Denholm brings over 20 years of experience as a collegiate administrator to BVU. Since 2010, he has been serving as the Director of Athletics at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota, where he oversees 14 sports. The Vikings have won conference championships and landed spots in national tournaments in multiple sports during his tenure. He's also been instrumental in building stronger fundraising and community relations opportunities, and collaborated with the administrative team to garner over $1 million in donations and budget allocations to install new field turf at its football field. He's also been heavily involved with strategic planning, game management, campus-committees and compliance.

Prior to Valley City State, Denholm had served as Director of Athletics and Dean of Students at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa from 1999-2010. He was also the head wrestling coach until 2006 and led the team to six top-10 finishes at the national tournament. He helped spearhead a $7.5 million building project that included an indoor track, multi-purpose gym, weight room, fitness room, coffee shop, student lounge and classroom space.

Denholm launched his professional career at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minnesota where he served as both Director of Athletics and head wrestling coach from 1992-99, while also teaching a variety of classes in physical education. A total of 24 wrestlers during his tenure there earned All-American status, including one national champion.

"Jack is an experienced athletics director, student affairs professional and coach," said BVU Vice-President of Enrollment Mike Frantz. "His career has been spent supporting the student-athlete through academic excellence, athletic competitiveness, community engagement, and personal and professional development. I very much look forward to working with Jack and raising the quality of Beaver athletics even higher."

"We are delighted to welcome Jack Denholm as our new athletic director," echoed BVU President, Fred Moore. "His demonstrated track record in building teams whose student-athletes are successful in the classroom and on the playing surface, combined with his deep knowledge of the Iowa market place, make him extremely well suited to lead our sports programs."

The new Buena Vista AD shares in the positive feelings of his superiors.

"I am very excited to join the Buena Vista University team and look forward to embarking on a new venture in Storm Lake," said Denholm. "It's always been my goal to be at this level, and it's great to come home to Iowa! I am ready to start working with the coaching and athletics staff, student-athletes, faculty, administration and community."

"The Iowa Conference is one of the best conferences in Division III and it will be very rewarding to set competitive goals and see how we can improve," he says. "BVU has such a rich tradition and it will be exciting to bring my ideas and experience to the table."

Buena Vista University has approximately 1,000 students at its campus in Storm Lake, in the northwest portion of Iowa. The school's athletic programs -- including wrestling -- compete in NCAA Division III.

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Ex-Wartburg All-American new Buena Vista AD

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