Kansas Wrestling
I have been advised that at 2:OO today, Monday the 22nd of March. Newman University will annouce that they are adding Wrestling. This is great news for Kansas Wrestling. They are trying to be Division II. Will add more details after the press conference.

Darin Goodrum
Sunflower Wrestling
Sweet!

This could not come at a better time!

For too long there have been tremendous wrestlers who have chosen other sports in college because there weren't any colleges close to Wichita that offered wrestling!

I hope some of the other schools follow them!

Wouldn't it be awesome for Friends University to start a program!

Based on how Kansas Kids have done at the different College National Championships, it probably would not take very long to get a serious contender from Kansas (If Newman can get them to stay home)
I phoned Newman to verify this and all they would tell me is to watch Channel 12 News!

They are going to have a News Conference @ 2:00!
Live on TV at 2pm or what?
Newman has indicated that they are going to tape it @ 2:00 and it should be on the 5:00 News!
oh....that explains why soap operas are on, but it is about wrestling expansion though right? Are they adding other programs as well?
I contacted Newman University and they confirmed that they are indeed starting a Wrestling program and that Mark Stovall formerly of Bishop Carroll High School will be the head coach!

Wow!
What a way to start a program!

Congratulations Coach Stovall and Newman University!
Awesome...I've been informing my college alma mater and like anybody in the college community they are pumped...but, is Newman going to be NAIA or try to transition to NCAA if so Men's Volleyball isn't offered on D2 so they can have that as a D1 sport.
What is the coaching background of coach Stovall? Wasn't there a Stovall that was a sports personality on a television station? Probably too early but I'm curious as to his assistants, also will this program start effectively for the 2004-05 season?
It is going to start next year. Coach Stovall said he will begin recruiting about 3:00 this afternoon. They are NAIA right now, but are in a provisional year to go Div II. They complete that in June, they then will find out if accepted for Div. II.
Coach Stovall is originally from Texas, wrestled at LSU before they dropped the program.
Where will he be recruiting?
That is fantastic news for Kansas wrestling and even wrestling on the national scene as we drastically need schools to follow suit and add programs to counteract the cuts our sport has received over the years!

Way to go Newman!
This is all I have:

Thank you Wrestling God.
I would urge the Executive Council of Kansas Kids to hold a meeting at the earliest possible time to discuss adding Newman to the current fiscal years budget for schools who receive scholarship donations.
Per the norm, Kansas Newman adds a sport and there is nothing in the Wichita Eagle about it today. If it were a woman's sport that had been added it not only would have made the sports section but the front page and lifestyle section as well.
I am greatly disappointed in the Wichita Eagle this morning.

According Mike Juby we have 7258 youth wrestlers in our state. Add to this most of the High School Juniors and Seniors and we have a tremendous number of wrestlers in our state.

Year in and year out our state is very well represented at both the High School National level as well as all of the different college levels. What our state and our sport has needed very badly is a University to have the courage and fortitude to start a wrestling program.

We now have one!

But this is the entire coverage the Wichita Eagle gave to the great story!

Wichita Eagle 03-23-2004
Newman University announced Monday that the school will begin a wrestling team next season. Bishop Carroll's Mark Stovall has been hired as coach.

I do not recall any coverage or very little coverage of the fact that Zach Roberson won a college national title or that Matt Murray was a National Runner-up. I do recall reading a very small blip about Jake Klein.

We need the coverage and visibility to continue to grow our sport and to get the lay person to understand how great our sport is.

The coverage could have been a great boost for our sport, but instead it was simply a small blip!

When Newman gets on the National Map with their program, and I believe they will shortly, will the Eagle still not give them the coverage they deserve?
How cool is this. I am so pumped for my alma motter. I know that Newman will run a great program. I also know that Coach Stovall will lead them to success. Good Luck. Wichita, and Kansas, should get behind this program and start a new trend in wrestling, growth.

Unfortunatly in Kansas, those that are not directly associated with wrestling could care less. In order for wrestling to grow in Kansas we have to gain support from the community, but that will take some time to develop. I can't wait till it does.
Does anyone have a link that can confirm this? I checked Newmans website and couldnt find anything about them adding a wrestling program. Please add a link if you have one.
I found a link to confirm it.

http://www.themat.com/pressbox/pressdetail.asp?aid=9587

Good luck to Newman! This is awesome for Kansas Wrestling.
I would agree with sportsfan02's earlier comment that I would hope that USAWKS would soon add Newman to the list of schools to receive scholarship money. I also believe it is time for the clubs and individuals to stand up and donate to the school for scholarship funds. These things are critical, it is imperative that the wrestling community show its support of colleges that are willing to support the sport. I am sure they would tell any of us that any donated amount is appreciated. Since I live so close I will also be looking for season tickets.
The best thing we as fans can do is ATTEND home matches! We have a responsibility to see that this program has every chance to succeed. So, we must go from an all day kids or high school event to attend a home dual at Newman that evening. We may have our club miss one Saturday kids tournament to attend a Newman match as a team. We must attend weekday home matches even if it means canceling a practice. In other words we all must now put our time and money where our mouths have been all these years!
Excellent post for your 300th sportsfan02. I couldn't agree more...Support our teams! College programs aren't set in stone, we must attend matches like crazy and maybe other schools will follow suit.
Looks like Newman has taken the time to set this up correctly and will do all neccesary to make it as successfull as possible. Definitely cant do worse then the last attempt to add college wrestling in Kansas. St. Mary of the Plains got off to a good start but do major financial probs(enoegh for the entire school to go under) the wrestling program lasted one season. Lets hope the only thing these two schools have in common is being tied to the Catholic church. They have been considering wrestling for some time. Great to see them get it pulled off. If all goes well this could get other schools in the KCAC to look into it and enoegh to get Baker over the fence...Would be almost better if they go NAIA next year, much easier to qualify for Nationals then in Div II. Need to get some early success to help the program going.
I think they will be fine in D2 depending on what regional they get thrown into.
The Wrestling Mall - Newman (Kansas) University to Add Wrestling Program

Newman (Kansas) University to Add Wrestling Program

3/22/2004 9:45:00 PM

From Newman Sports Information

Wichita, Kan. - Newman University President Dr. Aidan O. Dunleavy announced today that the university would launch an intercollegiate wrestling program for the 2004-2005 academic year. In preparation, the university has hired Newman graduate and current Bishop Carroll Catholic High School wrestling coach Mark Stovall as head wrestling coach.

Newman officials said launching the program would fill a void in collegiate wrestling programs in Kansas.

“This is about providing opportunities for students who want a quality education and who want to wrestle at the collegiate level,” said Newman Athletics Director Curtis Hammeke. “We want to provide students the chance to do both.”

Hammeke noted that while more than 600 high school athletes compete in the Kansas State Wrestling Championships each year, those interested in wrestling at the college level have limited options in Kansas.

The only four-year university in the state that now offers wrestling is Fort Hays State University, a member of the NCAA. Three Kansas community colleges - in Colby, Labette and Neosho - also compete in wrestling as members of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Newman is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC). Earlier this academic year the university announced it was formerly exploring a move to NCAA Division II athletics.

“Newman is definitely filling a need with this new program,” said Stovall. “The Wichita metro area alone is a hotbed for wrestling, and there are great high school wrestlers across Kansas that we are now losing to colleges in surrounding states that have wrestling programs. This is an exciting opportunity and I am delighted to be joining Newman.”

With the addition of the wrestling program in fall 2004, Newman will offer 17 varsity sports, plus programs in dance and cheer. The university currently fields men’s and women’s teams in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball, as well as men’s baseball and women’s softball.

“The continued growth of Newman’s athletics programs, as well as its overall student body, is a true benefit to Wichita and South Central Kansas,” said Rick Nuckolls, chair of the Newman Advisory Board. “This is a great time to be associated with the university.”

Hammeke said that Newman is, “very fortunate to have a coach of Mark Stovall’s ability and character to lead this program.” Stovall is a 1997 graduate of Newman, where he earned a degree in education. He worked as a non-paid assistant wrestling coach in Caprock High School in Amarillo, Texas, in 1989, and as assistant wrestling coach at Ponca City High School, Ponca City, Okla., from 1994 to 1996. After serving as assistant wrestling coach at North High School in Wichita for a year, he moved to Bishop Carroll, where he has served as head wrestling coach from 1998 to the present.

Under his stewardship Bishop Carroll teams captured the Greater Wichita Athletic League title the past three years, won the 5A regional title the past three years, and finished in the top five at the 5A state tournament each of the past four years, including winning the 2001-2002 state championship. Stovall has been named the Greater Wichita Athletic League Coach of the Year three times, and has helped coach Kansas wrestlers at the High School Nationals since 2001. He is a member of the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association board of directors.

To qualify for NAIA membership, a collegiate wrestling program must have 10 weight classes, with at least one wrestler in each class. Stovall said he hopes to have more.

“The ideal number for me would be 25,” Stovall said. “That gives you backup for each weight class and room to develop and move wrestlers among different weight classes.” Stovall said he will immediately begin recruiting students to the Newman program for the 2004-2005 season, which runs from November to mid-February.

Stovall and his wife, Christina, who is assistant vice president at Commercial Federal Bank, reside in Wichita. The Stovalls have a son, Kent, 5 months, and are members of St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

Newman University is a private, Catholic regional and international liberal arts university focused on education for life. Offering more than 40 undergraduate and four graduate programs, Newman University features small classes with personalized instruction. The university meets the needs of traditional freshmen, as well as returning adults who take advantage of convenient evening and Saturday class formats.
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