NCAA Div. III Wilkes and NAIA Kansas Wesleyan add women's wrestling

Wilkes University adding Women's Wrestling as varsity sport set to begin in 2025; Laudenslager named Director of Wrestling, Chander tabbed Associate Head Men's Wrestling Coach

WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes University Athletic Director Scott Musa has announced the addition of women's wrestling to its list of intercollegiate athletic offerings Wednesday morning at a formal press conference in the Marts Center.

"As the first-ever Division III men's wrestling national champion (1974), Wilkes has a proud history with the sport and adding to that history by starting a women's program now makes total sense for us," stated Musa. "It is one of, if not the, fastest growing sports in high school for women and fits perfectly with our culture," he added.

The addition of women's wrestling will increase the number of intercollegiate sport offerings at Wilkes to 24. It also makes Wilkes the first Landmark Conference school to offer the sport. The program will begin competition in the 2025-26 season. Also, Musa announced the promotion of Jon Laudenslager to Director of Wrestling and welcomed back 2017 graduate Pankil Chander as Associate Head Coach of men's wrestling as the structure of the wrestling staff at Wilkes undergoes a transformation. In the upcoming year, Wilkes will look to hire an additional full-time associate head coach for women's wrestling to complete the staff structure.

Wilkes now joins the 51 colleges and universities that had women's wrestling programs competing in 2022-23, and more than 70 schools reported that they intended to sponsor the sport during the 2023-24 academic year. Women's wrestling has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, with the sport designated an NCAA emerging sport during the 2020-21 academic year. It's on track to become the 91st NCAA Championship sport, with its projected first NCAA championship occurring in winter 2026. Current NCAA women's wrestlers compete in a season-ending national competition that is organized by the coalition of wrestling organizations.

"With the NCAA sponsoring a national championship starting in 2026, the women will have the same access to championships that our men currently enjoy," noted Musa. "This was another key factor in our decision to add women's wrestling now," he added.

"On behalf of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Board of Directors, I am thrilled that Wilkes University is adding an intercollegiate women's wrestling program to its athletic department," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. "Wilkes University already has a very rich history in men's wrestling (and across all of its sports) and we have no doubt that women's intercollegiate wresting will substantially contribute to this tradition. Anytime we add more opportunities for young women to compete in sports, we should all celebrate. I want to thank the Wilkes University administration for recognizing the educational value of providing these opportunities."

The longest tenured head coach on staff, Laudenslager has led the Wilkes men's wrestling program to almost 300 dual wins in his 22 years at the helm. He will now transition to recruiting both men and women in his new role as he oversees both programs and staffs.

"Our coaching structure, led by Jon Laudenslager as the Director of Wrestling and including full-time assistants for both the men's and women's program, puts us in a position to succeed" explained Musa. "Jon is an outstanding coach and mentor that is going to recruit women to Wilkes that will excel academically, athletically, and socially. The men's associate head coach, Pankil Chander, is already on board, allowing us to focus on identifying associate head coach candidates for the women over the next year that are prepared to help Jon give these women the same great experience that our male student-athletes enjoy."

"I am extremely excited about adding to our Wilkes wrestling brand and family with the addition of women's wrestling," mentioned Laudenslager. "It's an Olympic sport and with the NCAA now set to have a championship next year, I believe it's the right time. It will give our women the same opportunities our men have been chasing all these years."

Chander is no stranger to Wilkes having graduated in 2017 after a four-year decorated career on the mat. Most recently he was the head coach at Pennsylvania College of Technology since June 2022. Under his leadership, the Wildcats achieved their first ever team national ranking from the NWCA in 2023-24 and became the first program in Penn College history to advance to the NCAA Championships. Chander also coached the team to their first winning dual record and first season with two top five tournament finishes including a team championship in 2023 at the RIT Invitational.

Before his tenure at Penn College, Chander had a successful stint as a graduate assistant wrestling coach at Springfield College that he started in 2020 while working towards his master's degree. He coached 12 NWCA Scholar All-Americans and eight NCAA Northeast Regional medlaists across two seasons and led a wrestler to a top 12 finish in the 2022 NCAA DIII Championship.

In August 2018, Chander was named an assistant wrestling coach at Gettysburg College, coaching three NWCA Scholar All-Americans, a Division III NCAA Qualifier, and seven NCAA Southeast regional place winners. He also helped elevate the team to their first ever NWCA team ranking.

During his time as a Colonel, Chander amassed a career record of 91-50 and was the champion of the 2015 Wilkes Open at 141 lbs. Chander was also named NWCA Scholar All-American and was a starter on the team that won the 2014 Division III East Region Championship. He later earned his master's degree in athletic administration from Springfield College in 2022.

"Having Pankil come back as the associate head coach is an immediate enhancement for our men's program and someone who is a Wilkes Colonel," noted Laudenslager. "He understands our history, our proud tradition and has a proven track record coaching at the collegiate level," he added.

Kansas Wesleyan to add women’s wrestling for Fall 2025

Kansas Wesleyan will launch its 26th intercollegiate sport in the fall of 2025, as the university announced Tuesday that women’s wrestling will begin competition that semester. A coach will be hired this fall, with assistant coaches to follow.

“It’s always exciting to add a new opportunity for our students,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “This balances our athletic offerings by enabling a new, female-specific competition, and it’s a growing sport with a strong Midwest base. This decision, however, is about more than that. These types of additions give our students chances to compete and to learn the valuable life skills athletics can teach. Away from the mats, our university is investing in athletic facilities, we’re building new residence halls (and renovating existing ones), and this semester, we’ll have a new dining hall. All of this comes together to create an environment that puts the student first and helps them have a great experience as a Coyote.”

The program is the first KWU has added since Sept. 2020, when men’s volleyball joined the slate. Current offerings Esports, women’s flag football, and men’s and women’s bowling have also joined the Coyote Athletic Department in the past decade.

KWU’s team will practice in Muir Gym, using a suspension mat system. KWU will renovate a locker room for the team, as well.

There are 37 NAIA schools in the United States who offer women’s wrestling programs. More than one-third of them (14) are in Kansas, Missouri or Nebraska, and the Coyotes will become the sixth KCAC school to sponsor the sport. 2024 was the second year that the program held championship status in the NAIA.

“It’s always exciting to add a new sport,” said Athletic Director Miguel Paredes. “Women’s wrestling is on the rise nationally and is especially popular in the Midwest, but more than that, this is another addition to a fantastic Coyote experience. Our department has been at the forefront of adding emerging sports for years, and I’m pleased that this announcement continues that trend.”