Fresno State has kicked off its coaching search for the wrestling and women’s water polo teams, both of which will begin competing in the 2017-18 school year, the university announced Tuesday.
“We are really excited to add women’s water polo and wrestling, providing young men and women the opportunity right here in the heart of the Valley to continue playing the sport that they love while getting their education close to home,” Fresno State Director of Athletics Jim Bartko said in a statement. “Wrestling has such a rich tradition here in the Valley and water polo makes perfect sense in the footprint of our athletics structure and with our premiere aquatics venue. We look forward to incorporating these two sports into our university community while remaining focused on our continued commitment to gender equity and Title IX.”
The wrestling program comes back after being cut in the summer of 2006 while water polo will be making its initial debut.
The duo will be the first sports added to the university since 2008-09 when women’s lacrosse made its debut and women’s swimming and diving made its return after being cut in 2004.
Wrestling will hold its competitions at the Save Mart Center while the North Gym will house the coaches’ offices and the team’s locker room and mat room.
Water polo, on the other hand, will compete at the Aquatics Center with player locker rooms in the North Gym Annex.
Conference affiliation for both programs has yet to be determined.
The initiative to bring back the wrestling program picked up momentum in fall 2013 when Fresno State president Dr. Joseph Castro and the athletic department initially started looking into the restoration.
“I am ecstatic that we are officially moving forward with reinstating wrestling and adding women’s water polo. We have taken the time to adequately prepare for the new programs and to do the fundraising necessary for them to succeed,” Castro said in a statement. “It’s a bold move to add two new sports, but they will provide great opportunities for student-athletes at Fresno State and tremendous enjoyment by Bulldog fans throughout the Valley and beyond. This is additional evidence that our academic and athletics programs are rising together.”
The timeline for the sport additions is as follows:
March 2016 — Head coaching positions posted
April-June 2016 — Announce hirings of head coaches for both programs
July 2016 — Hiring of assistant coaches
Summer 2016 — Recruitment of student-athletes begins
November 2016 — Early signing period; recruits can sign National Letters of Intent to join Bulldog programs
August 2017 — Student-athletes of the two sports arrive on campus
Winter 2017-18 — Wrestling program begins competition
Spring 2018 — Women’s water polo begins competition