On Sept. 21, Sacred Heart Athletics announced that there will be a Division I women’s wrestling team in the fall of 2021. The addition of this program will bring Sacred Heart’s number of Division I teams to 33, 20 of which are women’s sports.
“It’s going to be very special and historic,” said men’s wrestling coach John Clark.
Wrestling has always been a part of Clark’s life. When he became a head coach at Sacred Heart, he took advantage of using his platform to implement a new team.
“It’s something that I really feel like I have to use my platform in an effective way,” said Clark. “I encourage and challenge other men and women to continue to grow not just wrestling, but equal opportunities for women in all sports.”
Being the first university in New England to have a women’s wrestling team surprisingly does not make things difficult. Clark has already been working on setting up meets where the team will not go farther than Pennsylvania.
Currently, Presbyterian College in South Carolina is the only other Division I school that has a women’s wrestling team. Clark hopes to be able to host a meet with them at Sacred Heart and eventually make the trip to South Carolina.
The men’s wrestling team currently has 51 members and has significantly grown over the past three years. With this, Clark is confident that the women’s team will have the same sort of growth.
Due to COVID-19, in-person Division I recruiting has been put on hold until Jan. 1.
“People can visit campus. We just can’t be with them. If we have a chance at landing a recruit, it’s them visiting campus. It sort of sells itself,” said Clark.
Given Clark’s lengthy wrestling background, he has received support from Mike Moyer, who is a part of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, as well as Deputy Athletic Director at SHU, Charlie Down, in creating this team.
Clark is planning on hiring a coach for the team in January of 2021. Clark is looking for someone that has a strong wrestling background and is planning to grow this team.
“I feel like Sacred Heart has done a great job implementing sports for women that I would never expect,” said junior Tyler Lowe. “From women’s rugby, to women’s ice hockey, SHU has had no problem giving women the same opportunities as men.”
Ultimately, the goal for this team is to help it grow and gain popularity amongst the Sacred Heart community.
“It’s also going to be able to combine a unique element that really no other school has done before, which is so fitting to us as the pioneers that we are,” said Clark.
