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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/23/05 FOR MORE
INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Wetmore(434)
582-2292 (Office)
(434) 534-6848 (Home) LYNCHBURG,
Va. – Liberty University Chancellor Dr. Jerry Falwell and Executive Vice
President/Chief Operating Officer Dave Young have announced that the
Athletic Department will be adding wrestling as its 18th NCAA Division I
collegiate program. A nationwide search for a head coach is
scheduled to begin immediately with the aspirations of having the newly
hired coach in place for the 2005-06 academic year to begin the
recruiting and scheduling process for competition starting in the
2006-07 year, as well as, continue the fund-raising efforts for the
program. “In years past, Liberty built a
wrestling tradition that was a very positive influence on this
campus,” stated Falwell. “We are committed to a return to excellence
in this program.”
Wrestling is no stranger to Liberty University as the school
sponsored the sport from 1974 to 1994. The reinstatement of the
wrestling program will be aided by the support of the Liberty University
Wrestling Foundation, which is a group of alumni and supporters of the
former program, who have been raising funds to help facilitate the
return of wrestling to Liberty University.
“It is an exciting time to be a part of the Liberty University
family,” Young commented. “The reinstatement of wrestling will be a
great addition to the variety of Division I sports already offered to
our fans and students. It will also provide another opportunity to
propel the University into the national collegiate sports scene.”
Under the direction of coaches Bob Bonheim (1974-86) and Don
Shuler (1987-94), the wrestling program grew from a small group of
walk-on athletes in 1974 to one of the more successful programs at
Liberty University. The program began as a member of the
National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) at which level
the Flames competed for eight seasons. Liberty quickly made its mark at
the NCCAA level, winning five-consecutive national championships,
starting with the 1976-77 season. In 1981, the Flames made the move to
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level where
Liberty finished its first season 18th at the national tournament. The
Flames followed with a pair of Top 20 finishes over the next three
seasons, before moving to the NCAA Division II ranks for the 1983-84
season. In its first season at the Division II
ranks, the Flames placed 23rd at the national tournament, while
continuing to improve over the next several seasons, highlighted by a
fifth-place finish at the national championship in 1986. In 1988, Liberty had it first major
individual accomplishment as Warren Stewart won the NCAA II national
championship at 142 pounds. The following season, the Flames made the
move to the NCAA Division I level, where Liberty finished seventh at the
NCAA Division I Eastern Regional, while having two athletes qualify for
the national tournament. Over the next five years, the program
continued to develop, sending at least two individual athletes to the
national tournament each season, while the team finished as high as 32nd
in the national rankings in 1991. In total, the Flames finished a 20-year
span of wrestling with a cumulative 180-101-6 record and had 42 athletes
earn All-American honors at various levels, including 22 NCCAA
All-Americans, four NAIA All-Americans and 16 NCAA Division II
All-Americans. The reinstatement of wrestling marks
the first addition to the Liberty University Athletic Department since
2001 when the school added women’s tennis. - www.LibertyFlames.com - |