We are very pleased to share with you the announcement of 3 New Sports to Boost Enrollments & Competitive Excellence:
The 日本一级片 at Johnstown is pleased to announce the addition of women鈥檚 wrestling and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 swimming to support enrollment growth.
鈥淲e are thrilled by the historic addition of women鈥檚 wrestling and swimming and are highly confident that these programs will make UPJ an even more compelling destination for prospective students, thereby boosting our enrollments,鈥� stated UPJ President Jem Spectar.
The addition of women鈥檚 wrestling to UPJ鈥檚 program leverages and complements UPJ鈥檚 historic legacy in wrestling, providing a significant boost to our student recruitment efforts throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.聽 Women鈥檚 wrestling has rapidly gained popularity in the western Pennsylvania region, with many local high schools and wrestling clubs fielding women's wrestling teams and featuring talented student-athletes. More than 1,200 women wrestlers are competing at NCAA schools today, a crucial factor in UPJ鈥檚 efforts to also boost its lagging enrollment of female students. There are currently 76 women鈥檚 wrestling programs at NCAA schools in 2023-24, with projections pointing to an additional 17 programs in 2024-25. Women鈥檚 Wrestling was recently approved as the 91st NCAA-sponsored National Championship for the 2025-26 season.
Swimming, another growing sport in our athletic conference and region, is also a popular choice for high school athletes. The Pitt-Johnstown Admissions Office receives many inquiries about the sport of swimming from potential students, and its addition is already earning praise from potential recruits.聽聽 Twelve PSAC institutions currently sponsor women鈥檚 swimming, while seven sponsor men鈥檚 swimming 鈥� making it one of the most popular sports in our Athletics Conference. Approximately 100 NCAA Division II schools sponsor women鈥檚 swimming, while 60 sponsor men鈥檚 swimming.
鈥淭he addition of Swimming, a very popular sport in the region, also leverages key strengths, including the recently renovated Zamias Aquatic Center and UPJ鈥檚 history for hosting high school swim meets on our Campus,鈥� stated Abby Gearhart, UPJ鈥檚 Director of Athletics.
With the addition of Women鈥檚 Wrestling at Pitt-Johnstown, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) will have five universities with Women鈥檚 Wrestling (Gannon, East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, West Chester, and Pitt-Johnstown), and would only need one more school to host a Conference Championship.聽 In addition to PSAC schools that offer women鈥檚 wrestling, other regional institutions, such as West Liberty, Frostburg, and Point Park, also offer the sport.
鈥淭hese additions are a momentous milestone, especially given our preeminence in wrestling - thanks to the legacy of the legendary Pat Pecora, who posted a record-shattering 661 career wins, 2 team national titles, 25 individual titles, and eight conference championships,鈥� stated UPJ president Jem Spectar.
In addition, UPJ is pleased to announce the hiring of two talented coaches for these programs. Shane Valko, who served as an assistant coach in the UPJ Wrestling Program from 2010 to 2016 and has experience coaching elite-level competitors, will be the new Women鈥檚 Wrestling coach. Valko, BA Communications (UPJ, 鈥�10) played a key role in helping UPJ earn 48 NCAA All-Americans and 4 National Championships.聽 An NCAA Hall of Fame champion and three-time All-American wrestler, Valko earned a first-place finish at the NCAA National Championship in 2010.
Kile Zeller, a former assistant women鈥檚 swimming coach at St. Francis University with over 25 years of experience in the field, will be the new swimming coach. An accomplished Division I swimmer during his collegiate years at Florida State University, Zeller holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Georgia and is a successful entrepreneur who has taught swimming to over 200 local children.聽聽
鈥淚 am thrilled to welcome these accomplished coaches and look forward to supporting their efforts and helping us meet our enrollment goals,鈥� stated Mike Drahos, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics at UPJ.