First football, now women’s wrestling!
Sussex County Community College (SCCC) in Newton is making its move to become the first community college in New Jersey to offer women’s wrestling.
“Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in New Jersey at the high school level,” says SCCC Athletic Director Todd Poltersdorf. “We felt that this would be the best time to start one. We will be the first community college in New Jersey to have one.”
Starting the fall 2024 season, SCCC plans to offer this new sport at the College. Practices will begin on October 1, with its first match set for early November.
While SCCC will be the first community college in the state to offer this sport to women, Poltersdorf says, “a few schools in the region are looking to add it. At the national level, they hold a competition and the women will wrestle at the Division I level in the NJCAA.”
Like the men’s program, the women’s team would compete in about 10 to 12 invitationals and quad meets and compete in 10 weight classes: 101, 109, 116, 123, 130, 136, 143, 155, 170 and 190.
The next step for the College is to hire a coach and start recruiting players.
“We plan on having a coach in place as soon as possible,” stated Poltersdorf. “We have started the hiring process.”
Scouting for players will also begin as the high school wrestling season hits the mat, giving the College plenty of time to start recruiting players.
“We are lucky women’s wrestling in Sussex County is so big and has great numbers, but we will also be able to recruit from other counties that border us,” stated Poltersdorf. “Adding women’s wrestling at SCCC is a win-win!”
“Anytime we can add a sport that allows student-athletes to continue to compete is awesome and continues to support our enrollment,” he adds. “This is an awesome opportunity for the College to grow our athletic program. Our county is a hotbed for wrestling for both men and women.”
Other sports for women at SCCC include basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, and Esports.
To learn more about Sussex County Community College and all its offerings, visit sussex.edu.
