With women’s wrestling being one of the most prominent rising sports, Saginaw Valley State University needs to add an official team to its roster of varsity sports.
At SVSU, there are eight varsity sports for men and 11 for women. Unfortunately, wrestling has not made its way on either list. There are thousands of college wrestlers throughout the country, but, currently, nobody is able to represent SVSU at the collegiate level.
Women’s wrestling has been around for many years, but this is the first year it has been an official NCAA sport. This comes just shy of 100 years before the NCAA held its first men’s national championship tournament. It is now time for women to take the mat, and SVSU can play an integral role in promoting and supporting the sport.
Not only is women’s wrestling growing popular among colleges, but it is also gaining popularity at the high school level. With the sport being new to college, SVSU can be one of the first universities to build a great foundation for women’s wrestling. Recruiting in the early developmental stages of the sport will allow them to acquire great athletes quickly.
According to The Daily Universe, “The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that in the 2024-25 school year, more than 74,000 girls participated in high school wrestling
nationwide. Just a decade earlier, that number was below 12,000.”
Because the sport is growing so rapidly, adding the sport would put a lot of eyes on the university. Bringing more notoriety to the school would help the name of the university spread. Not only will they see the possibilities with the women’s wrestling team, but they will also see the other pros
SVSU has to offer. Whether it is nationally ranked housing or the championship of the dodgeball team, most people will find something that they love about the school.
Not far from SVSU, Katie Lange, a junior at Grand Valley State University, became the first-ever NCAA women’s wrestling champion. She was the first of ten athletes who were crowned as champions during the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship.
Adding the sport brings more positive notoriety to the school, and it would also provide more opportunities for both current and new students. College is a time of growth and expansion, and adding more outlets for people to find their passions is exactly what a college is made for. Adding a women’s wrestling team is a great way for SVSU to grow as a university.
Even though women’s wrestling is just starting to become popular, it is important to note that it is already an established sport, so SVSU would not be taking a chance on it. Women’s wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004. If it is good enough for the world to watch, then it would be a great opportunity for the University to increase viewership and ticket sales here.
Women’s wrestling is not just a trend, so SVSU needs to pin it down and add it to its official roster of varsity sports.
