Ashland, Wis., July 21, 2023 –
 
Northland College is excited to announce the addition of men's and women's wrestling programs to its Athletics Department.
 
"We're in a state of growth as a department," said Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dan Schumacher. "This is an exciting time for Northland College Athletics."
 
The sport of wrestling enjoys national popularity. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) currently has 109 Division III institutions that sponsor men's wrestling and 44 Division III institutions that sponsor women's wrestling. During the 2021–22 school year, wrestling was the sixth-most popular high school sport for boys with 231,874 participants at 10,797 schools nationwide. In addition, there were 31,654 girls who participated in wrestling at 4,802 schools that same year.


Dan Schumacher
 
Wisconsin is no exception to the rule. "The state of Wisconsin, and specifically the Ashland area, has a tremendous amount of talent and support for the sport of wrestling," Schumacher remarked. "Adding these sport offerings is a natural fit for us."
 
A national search for a head wrestling coach will begin immediately, with both programs slated to start intercollegiate competition in the fall of 2025. The addition of men's and women's wrestling will bring Northland College's sport offerings to a total of 16 varsity sports.
 
Northland College's Athletics Department currently offers fourteen NCAA Division III teams in the sports of baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Northland College athletic teams compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Midwest Lacrosse Conference.