COLUMBIA, Ky. - Lindsey Wilson College Athletic Director Willis Pooler announces the hiring of Devane Dodgens as the first head coach of the Blue Raider women's wrestling program.
"I am pleased to announce the hiring of Devane Dodgens as our first head women's wrestling coach," Pooler said. "Since arriving on campus last summer, he has successfully recruited several student-athletes who are already enrolled and also signed several new student-athletes who will be competing on our first team in the fall of 2024, all while fulfilling his role as our assistant men's wrestling coach. His experience coaching female athletes and serving as a director of a wrestling program will serve him well as he transitions to his important leadership position at the College."
Dodgens is currently in his first season as an assistant coach for the Lindsey Wilson men's wrestling program and will transition into the role on April 1. He came to Lindsey Wilson from Brewton-Parker College where he coached both the men's and women's programs. Dodgens led the Brewton-Parker women's program to several milestones, including the program's first dual victory and first national ranking. During the 2022 season, he led the Barons to an 11th-place effort at the NAIA National Tournament with six national qualifiers and three All-Americans.
"Devane has a clear vision for our program, understands our mission, has worked well with others on our campus and will work tirelessly to meet the expectations we have for our program," Pooler added. "I know his focus will be on providing the best student-athlete experience possible for the members of our program. I'm excited to work with him in his new role."
Dodgens is a graduate of Life University (Ga.) where he obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology while wrestling for the Running Eagles. As an athlete, he earned two Academic All-American distinctions and two NAIA All-American finishes. The Michigan native also won over 100 matches during his collegiate career.
"I'm excited to get to work at Lindsey Wilson," Dodgens said. Coming here has been a great experience thus far and I'm excited that Lindsey Wilson is moving forward by implementing a women's program. "The commitment from the school and administration staff has been outstanding and the ladies we already have on campus feel that. We want young ladies to know when you come to Lindsey you are going to be successful in the three key areas - on the mat, in the classroom, and in their personal life. I believe that Lindsey Wilson's outstanding reputation and its ability to inspire student athletes to be more and do more will make the biggest difference compared to other schools in terms of a successful student athlete."
"I'm thrilled to be named the coach and want to thank everyone at Lindsey Wilson for welcoming me with such open arms," Dodgens added. "They have made the transition easy and fun for myself. I also want to thank President Bill Luckey, Willis Pooler, Chris Wells, Dean Adams and the rest of the Lindsey Wilson staff for the opportunity."
