The Penn State Behrend Department of Athletics announced on Wednesday the addition of two new sports in women’s bowling and men’s wrestling for the 2017-2018 season.

 
With the addition of these sports, the number of varsity sports has risen to 24. This includes 12 men’s and 12 women’s sports teams, all competing at the NCAA Division III level. 

However, wrestling is not a new sport for Behrend. From 1967-1978, the college fielded an elite wrestling program, as they were among the top 20 in the nation. Two wrestlers have been inducted into the Behrend Hall of Fame in Ashley Swift and Brian Vollant. Wrestling has a deep history in Pennsylvania, and no other state has yielded more NCAA programs or All-Americans in the last 50 years. 

“The campus really continues to grow. This year, we had a record freshman class with over 1,200 students. Our total enrollment, with what we have here [on campus] and our online programs, is just over 5,000 students. Giving our students an exceptional educational experience means giving them as many ways as possible to learn and grow, to achieve both inside the classroom and outside. The addition of these sports provides two more leadership opportunities for our students,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said.

Another reason for choosing these two sports is that there will be a minimal amount of missed class time. Women’s bowling will typically compete on Saturdays and Sundays. Similarly, the wrestling team will travel for weekend tournaments. Also, both of these sports are indoors, meaning the harsh climate will not affect their respective competitions.

“Women’s bowling seems to be a fairly big thing within the high schools in western PA and Western NY, so we think we can tap into student athletes that are looking at Penn State Behrend for their education, and also get the opportunity to perform,” Athletic Director Brian Streeter said.

The bowling team is expected to consist of seven to ten athletes and will compete at Eastway Lanes on Buffalo Road. In contrast, the wrestling team will have 20 to 24 student-athletes, allowing for at least two athletes for each weight class, so everyone will have a sparing partner at practices. The team will practice and compete in home matches in Erie Hall. 

“Between now and next year, we hope to get Erie Hall at least painted on the inside. From a scoring standpoint, we can use portable scoring, so that’s not a problem. We want to get our mats over there and get at least one or two to keep over there for our team to have,” Streeter said.

Even though Eastway Lanes will accommodate the bowling team, and the wrestling team will be in Erie Hall, there is still a concern over space issues.

“It will be tight. A problem on campus we have right now is a lack of recreational space for our students, so we want to be careful not to take space away from them,” Streeter said.

If the bowling team can find several bowlers that competed in high school, then they will be competitive in the AMCC.

For the wrestling team, a lot will depend on recruiting. However with the rich wrestling history and talented high school programs in this region, there is little doubt that talent will find its way to Behrend. 

 

The coaching staffs for both teams are not yet hired. In November and December, the athletic department will conduct a coaching search and hopes to have a full-time coach in place by Jan. 1 to begin the recruiting process. The bowling team head coach position will be a part-time position, and the department will not name a coach until the beginning of next year, close to the start of the season.

Both of the teams will begin in the late fall of 2017. The bowling season will run from October until March, and the wrestling season will be from November through February.