Maryville University is excited to announce the addition of a varsity wrestling program that will compete in an NCAA Division II during the upcoming 2011-2012 season. Maryville has never had a wrestling team, so we’re really excited about it!

Photo courtesy of Maryville website

Mike Denney has been chosen to lead the team as coach.Denney is a nation wide recognized wrestling couch who has been extremely successful in his coaching career, most recently at the University of Nebraska (UNO)- Omaha where he was a coach for 32 seasons, claiming seven national titles throughout.

Denney says,“I’m excited to move to Maryville, along with many of my current student-athletes, so we can replicate the type of success we’ve had in Omaha in St. Louis. A lot of hard work lies ahead in establishing our new program, but we’re confident in our ability to maintain high standards of excellence for our student-athletes on and off the mat.”

Denney brings with him to Maryville some wrestlers from his team at UNO. There will also be other students joining the team that are new to Maryville and/or Coach Denney.  Assisting Coach Denney as they head into their first season at Maryville are Assistant Coaches James Reynolds, Mario Morgan and Aaron Denson.

Wrestling will be added to Maryville’s already existing athletic programs that include; golf, baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and softball.

Grab your friends and show your support for Maryville’s newest addition this winter! Sporting events are a great way to meet fellow classmates, hang out outside of the classroom and to have fun!