Wrestling programs return to Wittenberg University

Wittenberg University wrestling is making a comeback, and this time, the school will offer wrestling for women. The last time the university had a men’s wrestling team was in the 1989-1990 school year, after which the program was discontinued. A group of wrestling team alumni started an initiative to reinstate wrestling at the university, and thanks to their financial sponsorship, wrestling for men is back, and wrestling for women will make its first appearance on campus. The teams will begin competing in the 2026-2027 school year.

According to an article on Wittenberg University’s website, Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Brian Agler, who is also a 1980 alumnus, was quoted as saying of the development, “We are extremely excited about the reinstatement of our wrestling program, which will include a women’s team. Wittenberg Wrestling has a rich history of competitiveness and an extremely loyal alumni base. We are also thankful for the leadership and vision of a dedicated group of Tiger wrestling alumni, led by Louis Cannon and Chris Hackett, who have made this a reality. I believe this investment by alumni will make Wittenberg stronger. We will announce our head coach and start the recruitment of new Wittenberg Tiger wrestling student-athletes very soon.”

The 2025-2026 school year will be dedicated to recruiting for both the men’s and women’s wrestling teams, and the school is already searching for a head coach. Wrestling is a popular sport for high school students, and the university believes that adding the program to its roster of offerings will potentially bring in more students who may not have chosen Wittenberg University without a wrestling team to participate in.

Cannon said, opportunity to engage in social and sports endeavors, which teach them the impact of effort, sacrifice, team comradery, hard work, perseverance, and communication, along with their academics. These recruits will substantively add to revenue, allowing the economic strength needed to support academics, as well as a well-rounded college experience. Personally, I wanted a great education but also wanted to wrestle and play baseball in college. I simply wasn’t good enough for Division I. Witt can fill that same niche that appealed to me to thousands of high school grads. Sports and academics are a tough route — people that have done both successfully in college are those that I look for when hiring for my companies. Their work ethic is strong.”

Christian M.M. Brady, DPhil (Oxon.), the university’s president, said, “We are deeply grateful to our supportive alumni and friends who, as donors, are allowing us to expand our athletics offerings without requiring additional investments from the University. This model preserves our financial future and positions us to offer a program of great interest and an overall excellent academic and educational experience to our current and prospective students.”

For more information about Wittenberg University, visit the school’s website.