Luther Announces Addition of Women’s Wrestling Program

Wrestling becomes 11th women’s sport offered by Nordiques; search for program’s first coach to begin this winter

DECORAH – Luther to expand athletics department.

Luther administrators announced Thursday that they plan to add a women’s wrestling program, making it the 11th sport offered to female athletes. The Norse are expected to begin competing in the 2025-26 school year.

“Luther has a long history of supporting our students who want to play on teams, learn discipline and resilience, and compete,” Luther President Jenifer K. Ward said in the news release. “We were among the first colleges to create varsity teams for women, beginning in 1964, long before Title IX legislation required us to do so. We will soon celebrate our 60th anniversary by providing our women with the opportunity to participate in varsity sports.”

Ward also noted that the upcoming year will be used to plan and prepare for the inaugural season. This fall and winter will be spent promoting the program and educating potential recruits. The goal is to conduct a national search in the winter to hire the program’s first coach after this varsity wrestling season.

“The NCAA and American Rivers Conference are on the verge of adding women’s wrestling to their leagues, so the timing is right for us to join,” Luther athletic director Renae Hartl said in the release. “And with renovations underway to the future Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness, including an expanded wrestling practice space, the timing is perfect.”

Luther becomes the seventh ARC school to offer girls wrestling, joining Buena Vista, Central, Dubuque, Loras, Simpson and Wartburg. The first conference tournament was held in January in Waverly.

“The NCAA and the American Rivers Conference are on the verge of adding women’s wrestling to their leagues, so now is the perfect time to join the adventure,” Hartl said. “And with renovations underway at the future Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness, including an expanded wrestling training space, the timing is perfect.”

According to the release, a recent NCAA convention included approval of divisional championships for each level. Women’s wrestling is the 91st NCAA national championship, which includes more than 60 NCAA Division III member institutions with sponsored programs.

Competition schedules will be determined at a later date and may be impacted by first-year participation.

“We won’t know for a while whether it will start as an open competition or whether there will also be team duels,” Hartl said. “What we do know is that the young women will have the opportunity to put on that famous blue Luther jersey and compete like the Norwegians.”

Northeast Iowa is a hotbed of girls wrestling. High school programs in the area spearheaded the campaign to have the sport sanctioned by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Luther provides more opportunities for female wrestlers to extend their careers.

“The addition of women’s wrestling to Luther College will undoubtedly have a generational impact for future female athletes,” IGHSAU Executive Director Erin Gerlich said in the release. “Looking at our state and nation over the past several years, women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports programs. In Iowa alone, we have consistently seen the number of female high school wrestlers increase exponentially each year and reports from the youth wrestling community show no signs of women’s wrestling slowing down anytime soon.”

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