Jan. 27, 2023 – Loras College's Director of Athletics Denise Udelhofen ('90) officially announced today that the department has named Wil Kelly as the school's inaugural head coach for women's wrestling.
"It's truly an honor to be back in my hometown and to have the opportunity to be the first Women's Wrestling Coach at Loras College," Kelly said. "There are some unique challenges in starting a program, but it's really an open canvas which is exciting."
Kelly brings a wealth of wrestling knowledge and experience to the Loras Athletic Department and will look to expand on the foundation of excellence already laid forth by the existing Duhawk programs.
"Wil's background and connections in wrestling will be valuable as he builds our women's program," Udelhofen, said. "He is well respected in the wrestling community, which will be beneficial in recruiting and building relationships with area coaches, student-athletes and fans."
Kelly is no stranger to the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) or the landscape of wrestling in the state of Iowa. His most recent coaching job was at the prep level, leading the Cedar Falls High School boys wrestling team from 2009-16. He is a member of the Iowa High School Athletics Association Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Wartburg College Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Dubuque Wahlert High School Hall of Fame.
At Wartburg, Kelly was a two-time All-American wrestler in 2002 and 2003. He won the NCAA Division III National Championship in the 141-lb weight class during his senior season, following his junior season in which he placed third nationally. At Wartburg, he finished his career with a 47-10 overall record and was a vital part of four straight Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now the A-R-C) team championships and the program's NCAA National Championship in 2003.
Before attending Wartburg, Kelly was recruited by and wrestled for the University of Iowa and legendary head coach Dan Gable. While at Wahlert Catholic High School, Kelly won three 3A state titles at 130-lbs in 1993, 1994, and 1995. He was also a 16U Freestyle National Champion during his prep career.
Kelly is excited for the challenges that lie ahead with getting a new program up and running. Women's wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in collegiate athletics, making the new Loras program a welcome addition to the wrestling culture and history in the state of Iowa and the future landscape of the A-R-C.
"We are excited to welcome a new program to our department and offer more opportunities for women at Loras," Udelhofen said. "It will be fun to see the women build on the wrestling tradition we have at Loras on the men's side. Wil is motivated to get started on building the recent addition to Loras Athletics."
"There's lots of work to be done in this new role, but I can hardly wait to get out there and start meeting student-athletes who are interested in pursuing their education and want to wrestle at the collegiate level," Kelly said. "I'm also excited to work alongside Coach Glosser and his staff who have already established themselves as a top tier program. The amount of support the program has received so far has been humbling to say the least. Now it's time to go to work."
If you are a student-athlete that is interested in joining the women's wrestling team, please
click here to fill out the recruiting form.