Lehigh’s decision to officially make women’s wrestling its 26th varsity sport – officially announced today, though it was common knowledge it would happen – marks the Mountain Hawks as one of the most progressive athletic departments in Division I sport.
And perhaps one of the most daring.
College athletics is teetering on an edge right now, with everybody having fingers and toes crossed about the final look of the House v. NCAA settlement. No one quite knows what the scene will look post-House, especially the financial scene. Olympic sports coaches at major institutions are nervous as can be.
In such an environment, universities may be understandably hesitant to add a whole new program, In Lehigh’s case it would have been easy to wait, especially since only five Division I teams – Iowa, Presbyterian, fellow EIWA member Sacred Heart, Lindenwood, and Delaware State — currently sponsor the sport,
Maybe not the best time, then, to add the first new varsity program at Lehigh in 22 years?
Just the right time, as it turned out.
“Lehigh has a proud and storied tradition in wrestling, with our men’s program nationally recognized for both its competitive success and its commitment to developing scholar-athletes,” said Lehigh Dean of Athletics Jeremy Gibson. “Elevating women’s wrestling to varsity status is a natural and exciting next step for Lehigh University and our athletics department. This decision reflects our deep commitment to equitable opportunities for all student-athletes and to sustaining excellence – both on the mat and in the classroom. We are thrilled to welcome women’s wrestling to our varsity family and look forward to building a program that upholds the high standards that have long defined Lehigh wrestling.”
That statement leaves little room for doubt – Lehigh is all-in.
The NCAA, which has missed more boats than a blind sea gull looking to land, isn’t missing this one., Women’s wrestling will get is own championship in 2025-26, though just what that will look like isn’t known yet and could be very interesting.
The growth of women’s collegiate wrestling has truly been from the bottom up. Over 100 NCAA members offer the sport, almost all the Division II and III levels, The NAIA, the organizing unit of some of the smallest colleges, mostly in the South and West, also has a healthy women’s presence.
In Pennsylvania, 25 colleges have women’s programs – 22 in Divisions II and IIO and three junior college teams, including Northampton Community College.
And to be sure, the exponential growth of girls wrestling at the community and high school level has just been astonishing – the sport has come so far so quickly.
So, this has not been an imposition of lower levels by big schools, or the powers that be hot to trot for a specific sport, as has happened over the years.
Of course, it’s very disappointing to not see Penn State, or Ohio State, or Bucknell, or Rutgers, or Penn, or Maryland or Northwestern or North Carolina, all colleges committed to women’s sports in general, on the list of D-1 schools with women’s wrestling. Girls wrestling is exploding in New Jersey – Princeton and Rutgers have clubs, but time for an upgrade, or for Rider to snatch the honor of being first in the state.
The fact that there are only six D-1 programs now shows the risk Lehigh is taking. Sure, the NCAA sanctioning a championship in women’s wrestling ought to see more teams spring up. And you don ‘t have to have men’s wrestling to have women’s. Hello, Lafayette? Get The Rivalry going on the mats too!
But for now, Lehigh will be pioneering it out there.
There’s no question the Mountain Hawk women will have top-quality athletes. Already, they have Easton’s state and national champion Aubre Krazer, and it does not get any better than that. It’s like starting a basketball program with Michael Jordan already in hand.
And there’s also no question Lehigh will draw fans. I attended a Lehigh club match with Columbia in February and the highly entertaining competition was accompanied by a righteous racket in the stands that filled Grace Hall. An Iowa-Lehigh match in Grace? Ooooh. Bring it on!
Lehigh’s taking a bit of a chance in moving forward with women’s wrestling. It’s a chance that we think will pay off big-time.
But even better, it’s the right thing to do, a concept that rarely moves anybody in collegiate sports.
Well done, Lehigh.
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Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com.
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