Slippery Rock University announces return of men’s wrestling

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University today announced the return of men's varsity wrestling with the goal to begin NCAA Division II competition during the 2027-28 academic year. 
 
Slippery Rock's wrestling program built its reputation from 1958 to 2006 as a program that emphasized a strong balance between athletics, academics and personal development. The program went 362-294-7 over that stretch with many of those wins coming at the NCAA Division I level. 
 
Eight different men oversaw the team as head coach with the most impactful being Fred Powell, who coached the program from 1967-91 with a winning percentage of 66 percent. He coached some of the best collegiate wrestlers in NCAA history, including world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Stan Dziedzic '72. Powell earned the "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" award and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.
 
Slippery Rock expects to launch a national search for a head coach during the 2026 spring semester to allow an academic year for recruiting before the program begins competing in the 2027-28 academic year.
 
"Athletics, in many ways, serves as the front door to our university, and the return of wrestling at The Rock is so exciting," said SRU President Karen Riley. "We have a long history of excellence in the sport and look forward to adding it back to our compliment of exceedingly successful athletic programs. We are so grateful to members of the SRU community for their advocacy and continued support."
 
The Rock will compete at the NCAA Division II level as NCAA rules have changed since the last time SRU fielded a wrestling team and a return to the Division I level is no longer possible. There are currently 70 NCAA Division II wrestling programs competing across the nation in 2025-26.
 
The University recently launched a wrestling campaign with an initial goal of $2 million. Former SRU wrestler Robert Dudley '77 has created a dollar-for-dollar match challenge (up to $250,000) to effectively double the impact of each additional dollar raised to help bring the program's return to the next level. 
 
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"I'm excited to team with SRU to help support the return of one of the most respected collegiate wrestling programs as well as honor the legacy of coach Fred Powell. It's important for me to give back to the school that provided me the framework of my life and vocation, and I look forward to watching the SRU wrestling program as it develops and matures in the years to follow," commented Dudley. 
 
"Slippery Rock wrestling will return and develop into a nationally competitive team again; and every gift directly strengthens the program's long-term success by creating a program that attracts and develops top-tier student-athletes," commented John Stroup '80, a former Rock wrestler. "Your support today does not determine if Slippery Rock wrestling returns — it determines how strong it returns."
 
"Slippery Rock University is excited to revive its storied wrestling tradition, and counts on the support of alumni, fans, and friends to get us to the mat,” said Roberta Page, director of athletics. "The campaign will help fund essential needs such as equipment, coaching, travel, and scholarships, ensuring SRU wrestlers can compete among the nation's best once again."
 
"After 20 years, we are back!," commented John Butch '72, chair of the SRU Wrestling Alumni and Friends Committee.
 
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Slippery Rock University also recently announced the addition of women's flag football with a fundraising campaign set to launch January 2026. The addition of women's flag football and wrestling at Slippery Rock will increase the total number of NCAA sponsored sports at the University to 19 in 2027-28, including 11 women's teams and eight men's teams.
 
ABOUT SRU
Slippery Rock University is a thriving NCAA Division II institution located in western Pennsylvania that currently sponsors 17 varsity athletics teams. The Rock's student-athletes excel on and off the field with SRU leading all athletics departments in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in academic performance in 2024-25 with student-athletes combining for a 3.489 GPA. The Rock ranks sixth all-time among all Division II schools in the total number of Academic All-Americans and were tied with Duke University for eighth among all NCAA schools from all levels in 2024-25 with 14 Academic All-America honorees.