Michigan's Davenport University to add women's wrestling

Davenport University will be adding a women's intercollegiate wrestling program which will take to the mats in 2020-21, the Michigan-based school announced this week.

Jamie Boyd, head coach of Davenport's men's wrestling program, will also lead the new women's program which will become the fifth intercollegiate sport for women at the school.

Davenport's women wrestlers will compete in Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association, becoming the 38th such program in the U.S., and the second in the state of Michigan.

"As we assessed the athletic landscape in our region, we noticed a consistent uptick of interest in women's wrestling," said Paul Lowden, executive director of intercollegiate athletics at Davenport University. "We have continued to gauge the growth of women's wrestling in our area, which included the addition of the first Michigan High School Girls Wrestling Finals. With the addition of a collegiate women's wrestling program at Davenport, we feel that we can offer a unique opportunity for females to extend their wrestling careers while achieving their academic goals."

Coach Boyd weighed in with his thoughts on Davenport's newest intercollegiate sports program.

"I believe it is a tremendous step for this University in showing its support for the sport of wrestling by establishing a women's program in 2020," said Boyd. "The state of Michigan alone has an abundance of highly-talented female wrestlers that will now have the opportunity to continue their wrestling careers while obtaining a great education. I am very excited about building the foundation for the women's program and looking forward to our first season."

Davenport University is a private, four-year school located in Grand Rapids, Mich., the state's second-largest city. Founded in 1866, the school has an enrollment of approximately 7,200 students.