Kansas Wrestling
Posted By: smokeycabin Lock Haven adds women’s wrestling - 05/26/19 12:28 AM
T.R. Foley
T.R. Foley, InterMat Senior Writer
5/24/2019
foley@intermatwrestle.com, Twitter: @trfoley, Instagram: tr.foley

Earlier this week it was announced that Lock Haven University will become the latest school to add a women's wrestling program.

I spoke to Lock Haven head wrestling coach Scott Moore this week about the announcement. I was surprised to learn that (paraphrasing his thoughts) the idea came about through a mixture of a motivated president, keen athletic director, and the guidance of the NWCA. There are always additional people involved in these decisions (and Moore's success was a main catalyst), but the casual way in which the idea of adding women's wrestling went from cocktail party chatter to implementation is enlightening … and encouraging.

Women's wrestling is ready to explode. In 10 years we will look back at the last 20 years like teenagers staring at rotary phones. It'll all seem so outdated and analog. Members of our community spent DECADES moaning about Title IX and all along the solution was something like equal rights.

By no means is any of this the official statement of the university, but Moore said plainly that the 10-15 girls they are adding will automatically offset the majority of his Title IX concerns. Donors have attached themselves to the idea and are giving to the program on the back of this call.

Money and attention are immediate pay-offs, but for Moore and Lock Haven they will see an increase in national visibility, deeper recruiting pools, and likely a more textured and robust environment for their wrestling team. The women's team will start with as many as five teams within a four-hour drive, increasing the likelihood of its success with lower costs for travel.

The school will be announcing their new coach in the coming weeks and Moore said that he predicts the addition of any new staff will only elevate the program even further with more buy-in from more members of the school and local community.

Moore knows that he can't fund a $5 million wrestling hall or support a large independent RTC at Lock Haven. At least not in the near future. But he's fighting with the resources he has and winning at every turn. His scrappiness as a competitor and coach are now obvious in his ability to be a leader in the community.

A huge congratulations to Lock Haven and to the NWCA for their efforts in helping get this achieved. Should the NCAA recognize women's wrestling at the Division I level, I predict we will all look back and see Lock Haven adding women's wrestling as the turning point in this long effort
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