As most wrestling fans are now aware the push to include women at the Division I level has been going, in earnest, for roughly five years. Once only relegated to the WCWA the sport has quickly become the administrative-favored add at several enrollment-based schools, especially at the Division II and Division III levels. Even smaller Division I schools for whom enrollment is a concern have added programs, including Lock Haven.
The growth is dependent on state sanctioning to ensure that more women have the chance to compete when they are girls. This week South Dakota sanctioned girl's wrestling, becoming the 25th state nationwide to do so. That's an extraordinary number and one that helps support that growing number of collegiate programs and provide USA Wrestling with a much larger crop of potential Olympic and world champions on the women's side.
The best news nugget in the decision was that the program will all be freestyle, rather than folkstyle. It's a huge boon not only to the pool of American athletes, but also will become a destination for international athletes looking for an education.
As always, there is some concern with the rapid growth in the time of COVID-19. The budgets of most programs are being cut due to the economic concerns of limited, or canceled, college football seasons. That would've made the effort to add and retain new Division I programs on the women's side ever-more difficult, but the target of 40 programs to earn championship status is only one away. That's right, with Emerging Sports status officially starting August 1, it's not impossible that women's wrestling could immediately qualify for an NCAA Division I championships.
There are other angles to COVID-19 that might prove helpful. Right now there are athletic departments looking to save money, but also remain NCAA viable with 8-plus programs. If they already have a men's program and want to trade up for a low-cost Title IX compliant sport, women's wrestling is now available.
Congratulations to all the youth, high school and college coaches who've been toiling for years to get this status approved. An obvious acknowledgement of Sally Roberts, too, who has been the tip of the spear with Wrestle Like a Girl and has orchestrated much of the success we saw last week.
Let's keep it up. There is no time to rest.
To your questions …
Q: What do you think about The Citadel firing Rob Hjerling? Who takes that job?
-- Wayne P.
Foley: There were some solid years at The Citadel in the early 2010's, but they've since faded from prominence. These things are cyclical and also driven by momentum. I'm certain that Coach Hjerling will do well in his next pursuit and has fond memories of his time as the head wrestling coach at The Citadel.
The next hire will be very interesting. The school presents a number of challenges given that it's a military institution in the south without a strong history if winning championships. Maybe Lee Roper would be a good fit, given his familiarity with wrestlers from the Mid-Atlantic and south. He has a strong history of success on the mat, as a club coach, and at Northern Iowa that could see him get the nod for the job.
You also have Jordan Leen from Tennessee, who is currently at Pittsburgh but also coached at Virginia.
Q: What do you make of the Rumble on the Rooftop event on June 28?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Same question as always: Why? There is no tangible benefit to a competition of that size for the athletes or the fans. The jiu-jitsu world has been doing some competitions, too, so maybe I'm in the minority, but I see absolutely zero reason to start now. What is the plan if there is an infection? What if a competitor spreads it to someone, who then unknowingly infects someone with a health condition? What if someone dies?
The "don't be a pansy" crowd can yell all they want about a return to normal life and masks being for the weak, but I'll remind you that more than 115,000 Americans have died since March and 1000 die EACH DAY. I love wrestling and have spent my life circling the globe to write stories and produce videos for our audience. Like many of you, I feel the deepest of connections. But there is nothing more important to me than the health of my family and community and I can't find a way to justify these types of events that seem to have little oversight and even less at stake.
The time will come for a return to mats, but right now -- without contact tracing, testing, and other precautions there is not enough evidence that this will be a safe event.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Powerful story
King Vlad
#TBT Olympic Champ Khinchegashvili Wins First of Three European 🥇
�" United World Wrestling (@wrestling) June 18, 2020
"King Vlad"🇬🇪 has a trio of continental 👑 on his resume, but his first came at the '14 Euro C'ships, where he stopped Ghenadi TULBEA from becoming Monaco's first-ever continental champion with a 5-1 victory. pic.twitter.com/1442ihlxZt
Max Rohskopf (Photo/NC State Athletics)Q: Former NC State wrestler Max Rohskopf is making his UFC debut this weekend. What kind of future do you think he has in MMA?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Rohskopf has shown a lot of promise in his first several fights. Like a number of wrestlers, he seems to have heeded the warning about the necessity of standup game, but unlike other wrestlers he also seems to have focused a lot on his jiu-jitsu. The ability to avoid submissions, while also hunting for your own makes any fighter -- especially a Division I wrestler -- extremely dangerous on the mats.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now