OCU to cradle women's wrestling next fall

Published: February 14, 2007

Oklahoma City University announced Tuesday it will add women's wrestling as a varsity sport beginning next fall. It is the third sport OCU has added in recent years, including rowing, volleyball and men's wrestling.

OCU officials also announced the school is going ahead with its goal of entering the NCAA Division I level in the future.

Men's wrestling coach Archie Randall will coach both wrestling teams and will oversee the start-up process. OCU already has an oral commitment from Tulsa East Central female wrestler Cheyenne Stokes.

There are six colleges in the United States that have women's wrestling programs. Randall said about 5,000 girls wrestle nationally, with half coming from Texas.

"These girls are at the top of their sport and have the goal to be an Olympian,” Randall said. "What we can give them is a quality education and the opportunity to be an Olympian.”

Cumberland (Ky.), Menlo College, Missouri Valley, Northern Michigan, Pacific and Trinity (Conn.) all have women's programs. Randall said OCU will wrestle those schools and will travel to Canada twice next year. Canada has 16 colleges that have women's wrestling programs.

Women's wrestling is not sanctioned by the NCAA but might be soon. OCU currently has 11 sports but needs 14 to compete at the NCAA Division I level. The school has recently built a new softball field and upgraded its soccer and baseball facilities.

"The progress we've made has included facilities, which is one of the suggestions our consultant gave us,” athletics director Jim Abbott said. "We have additional plans for a basketball practice facility. We feel like we've made progress, but the big issue is having the revenue necessary to support us day to day.”

With an enrollment of about 4,000, OCU is similar in size to the University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts. However, Tulsa has a large endowment.

"The financing it would require for Division I is triple or quadruple our annual athletics budget,” OCU president Tom McDaniel said. "Is there someone out there who would give us the money to do that? Five years ago, we didn't know if Wanda Bass would give us $23 million for a new music school or if there was a Herman Meinders, who would give us $20 million for a new business school.”