How stable is UALR?

[TexRef]

Without the PAC12 affiliation, how safe is UALR? They haven't been able to develop anyone, they haven't attracted a hammer out of the portal, no decent JC transfer, and just nothing. 

Time for a coaching change? 

[flyingcement]

They have Kyle Dutton and Nassir Bailey as top recruits.  

[bnwtwg]

This is an inherently bad take

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

Personally I'm grateful as heck to see Arkansas finally have NCAA D1 wrestling.  It's a first for that state, isn't it?   Maybe they're struggling financially and doing the best that they can.   I sincerely do not know, but I salute the insurance broker who donated and sacrificed to make the program's emergence possible:  

https://www.hatcheragency.com/
Greg Hatcher

I think of certain college wrestling programs more as beacons of survival and stability for our sport than I do as sources of likely NCAA medalist contenders.



Such schools inspire more folks in their states to embrace our sport in ways that sponsors, academic administrators and even Olympics officials notice.    We want to avoid the fate of men's NCAA gymnastics, which has become very regional instead of national.   

    Along those lines, what if we could get D1 (or at least NAIA) wrestling added to nearby Mississippi next?   That would be a first, too, right?    Here's a foundation taking on that challenge:

https://www.sipwrestling.org/

Another nearby state (Louisiana) apparenly used to have D1 wrestling (Tulane U. comes to mind) but presently does not.   Surely there's an enrollment-driven D1 school there (or an NAIA one) that could follow UALR's footsteps too?   

    Nearby Alabama's added NAIA wrestling during recent years.   I recall reading about a second one's emergence there a few years ago, but I'm not recalling if it's D3 or NAIA.    At any rate, may they keep up the progress.   

     Anyhow, we've recently been discussing how Cal. State Bakersfield isn't producing as much as is desired, lately.   

But at least they avoided nearby Fresno State's fate in going over budget and getting eliminated (again).     Their survival is enabling other schools in the region to keep wrestling too.    Road trips can be lengthy without these beacons of survival.    Would Stanford, Oregon State, Cal. Poly and Cal. Baptist still have NCAA D1 wrestling if not for Cal. State Bakersfield's continuing existence?   How about Arizona State, Northern Colorado, Utah Valley and others in that region?   Fortunately Boise State's demise a few years ago didn't start the chain reaction of team elimination that some of us feared (yet).   

    That said, I appreciate your concern about UALR's wrestling health.   Perhaps more teams' emergence in the region can generate greater overall interest and buoy teams that dare to join the local and regional title pursuits to greater success?    

[TexRef]

Arkansas State had a program back before there were the divisions (D1, D2, & D3). They had Dr. Harold Nichols as their coach. He left ASU and went back to Iowa, to be the head coach at Iowa State. 

[SetonHallPirate]

I'm far more worried about programs at FBS institutions than FCS or non-football D-1's (UALR doesn't sponsor football, which is why they left the Sun Belt for the OVC). You have to go back to 2016 (Grand Canyon) for the last time a non-FBS D-1 program was dropped.

Not-so-fun fact that nobody pitching a new program will mention (hopefully): no AD that has started wrestling at a Division I institution in the last 10 years has been around to see that program's first home dual (this is a streak that will continue with Morgan State).

Edited October 7, 2023 by SetonHallPirate

[TexRef]

1 hour ago, SetonHallPirate said:

I'm far more worried about programs at FBS institutions than FCS or non-football D-1's (UALR doesn't sponsor football, which is why they left the Sun Belt for the OVC). You have to go back to 2016 (Grand Canyon) for the last time a non-FBS D-1 program was dropped.

Not-so-fun fact that nobody pitching a new program will mention (hopefully): no AD that has started wrestling at a Division I institution in the last 10 years has been around to see that program's first home dual (this is a streak that will continue with Morgan State).

Great info there and thank you for sharing. I didn't take into consideration the FCS element. 

I haven't kept up with the Morgan State program. What's going on out there?

[Formally140]

4 hours ago, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

Personally I'm grateful as heck to see Arkansas finally have NCAA D1 wrestling.  It's a first for that state, isn't it?   Maybe they're struggling financially and doing the best that they can.   I sincerely do not know, but I salute the insurance broker who donated and sacrificed to make the program's emergence possible:  

https://www.hatcheragency.com/
Greg Hatcher

I think of certain college wrestling programs more as beacons of survival and stability for our sport than I do as sources of likely NCAA medalist contenders.



Such schools inspire more folks in their states to embrace our sport in ways that sponsors, academic administrators and even Olympics officials notice.    We want to avoid the fate of men's NCAA gymnastics, which has become very regional instead of national.   

    Along those lines, what if we could get D1 (or at least NAIA) wrestling added to nearby Mississippi next?   That would be a first, too, right?    Here's a foundation taking on that challenge:

https://www.sipwrestling.org/

Another nearby state (Louisiana) apparenly used to have D1 wrestling (Tulane U. comes to mind) but presently does not.   Surely there's an enrollment-driven D1 school there (or an NAIA one) that could follow UALR's footsteps too?   

    Nearby Alabama's added NAIA wrestling during recent years.   I recall reading about a second one's emergence there a few years ago, but I'm not recalling if it's D3 or NAIA.    At any rate, may they keep up the progress.   

     Anyhow, we've recently been discussing how Cal. State Bakersfield isn't producing as much as is desired, lately.   

But at least they avoided nearby Fresno State's fate in going over budget and getting eliminated (again).     Their survival is enabling other schools in the region to keep wrestling too.    Road trips can be lengthy without these beacons of survival.    Would Stanford, Oregon State, Cal. Poly and Cal. Baptist still have NCAA D1 wrestling if not for Cal. State Bakersfield's continuing existence?   How about Arizona State, Northern Colorado, Utah Valley and others in that region?   Fortunately Boise State's demise a few years ago didn't start the chain reaction of team elimination that some of us feared (yet).   

    That said, I appreciate your concern about UALR's wrestling health.   Perhaps more teams' emergence in the region can generate greater overall interest and buoy teams that dare to join the local and regional title pursuits to greater success?    

Mississippi doesn’t have hs wrestling…

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

When will the following suffice?

https://www.sipwrestling.org/
PARTICIPATING HIGH SCHOOLS:

Participating Wrestlers Count
Girls: ~50
Boys: ~400

NORTH MISSISSIPPI (9)

• Lewisburg

• Center Hill

• North Pontotoc

• South Pontotoc

• Oxford

• Tupelo

• Saltillo

• Starkville

• French Camp

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (9)

• Ocean Springs

• Vancleave

• St. Martin

• East Central

• Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind

• St. Andrew’s Episcopal School

• St. Patrick's

• Picayune

• Mendenhall

[SetonHallPirate]

3 hours ago, TexRef said:

Great info there and thank you for sharing. I didn't take into consideration the FCS element. 

I haven't kept up with the Morgan State program. What's going on out there?

They have a roster of 30 for this season, 25 of whom are freshmen. Not sure how well they are going to do this year, although my expectation is not great. (if a brand new Division I program is competitive in year one, I would have to wonder what the coach is doing wrong for down the road)

[AgaveMaria]

Initial post - might put the actual name of the school. Thought it was a toilet bowl cleaner.

[SetonHallPirate]

21 minutes ago, AgaveMaria said:

Initial post - might put the actual name of the school. Thought it was a toilet bowl cleaner.

Poor University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

[1032004]

They’ve been around what, 4 years?  Last year they beat UTC, Bakersfield, and Ohio.  Seem like they’re doing OK.

They also have one of the best mats in NCAA wrestling and their coach has saved at least one life - https://ualr.edu/news/2022/04/25/erisman-saves-life/

 

[Jason Bryant]

Mississippi doesn’t have hs wrestling…

Yes it does.

[Formally140]

1 hour ago, Jason Bryant said:

Yes it does.

When did that happen? Last time I checked it was the one state without

[Corby]

Mississippi had a state tournament in 2023 

[Formally140]

4 minutes ago, Corby said:

Mississippi had a state tournament in 2023 

That is….

awesome 

[Formally140]

4 hours ago, 1032004 said:

They’ve been around what, 4 years?  Last year they beat UTC, Bakersfield, and Ohio.  Seem like they’re doing OK.

They also have one of the best mats in NCAA wrestling and their coach has saved at least one life - https://ualr.edu/news/2022/04/25/erisman-saves-life/

 

And the Hatcher money is a big part of it which helps a lot at a school like that

[Idaho]

Erisman doing a good job over there. Low budget program... they brought Reno in t 125... still have the Bianchi brothers and Wills. As stated Dutton and Bailey in the fold. They are inching their way forward. Hope they continue to improve each year. 

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

UALR would have had a winning season if not for relatively close losses to 3 schools:

https://lrtrojans.com/sports/wrestling/schedule/2022-23  

(Campbell, Stanford & SIUE)....

    Meanwhile here's their roster, which shows that they're (apparently) refraining from the (tired, albeit proven) formula of recruiting everyone they can from faraway wrestling hotbeds such as PA & OH:

https://lrtrojans.com/sports/wrestling/roster

I don't mean to suggest that MO, KA and TX aren't wrestling hotbeds, too, by the way.   But I like how UALR's roster shows they're providing opportunities to folks from underserved regions.  They need not have winning seasons to be well worth supporting.   

        

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

3 hours ago, Formally140 said:

And the Hatcher money is a big part of it which helps a lot at a school like that

I'm not aware that he has all that much.  But he does what he can with what he has, and makes a very favorable difference for our sport (and others).   His insurance company (the Hatcher Agency) does a wonderful job, too.   I know this from experience.     That said, I wonder how UALR funds its wrestling operation now that he generously provided seed money for them to get started.   Might anyone here know?   

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

4 hours ago, Formally140 said:

When did that happen? Last time I checked it was the one state without

Folks in Mississippi have been working to change the state's non-wrestling status, as the following link (also shared above) helps show:
 
https://www.sipwrestling.org/

How much longer before someone from Mississippi wrestles for UALR though?   We'll see...   

[Formally140]

7 hours ago, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

I'm not aware that he has all that much.  But he does what he can with what he has, and makes a very favorable difference for our sport (and others).   His insurance company (the Hatcher Agency) does a wonderful job, too.   I know this from experience.     That said, I wonder how UALR funds its wrestling operation now that he generously provided seed money for them to get started.   Might anyone here know?   

Greg hatchers money is why the program exists…

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

UALR isn't on its own yet?  

[TexRef]

14 hours ago, Formally140 said:

Greg hatchers money is why the program exists…

His money is why any of the programs in Arkansas exist.