On the heels of a third year of record enrollment, Doane College has added wrestling and bowling to its intercollegiate athletic lineup.

Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, the college will relaunch a men's wrestling team as well as add men's and women's varsity bowling teams. This will bring Doane's intercollegiate athletic programs to 23.  Doane last had wrestling in the 1970s.

Doane becomes just the second private liberal arts and sciences college in Nebraska to offer both bowling and wrestling. Nationwide, only 41 schools in the NAIA offer wrestling and 40 offer men's or women's bowling.

Doane has led the way in a number of initiatives in its 140 years, including offering the Four Year Guarantee since 1995, a teacher warranty for Doane graduates since 1987, and the establishment of the Zenon C.R. Hansen Leadership program in 1994, to name a few.

A search for head coaches is underway to recruit student-athletes and build successful programs. Wrestling has an expected roster size of more than 20 athletes and bowling will have 8 on each respective team.

"These athletic programs will support the college's strategic plan for incremental, managed growth in the School of Arts and Sciences to 2,000 students over the next 10 years," said President Jacque Carter. "This growth will ensure Doane not only survives but prospers when other colleges and universities may fail."

"There are relatively few schools offering wrestling and bowling compared to the number of talented student-athletes who wish to continue their athletic careers at the college level," said Doane Athletic Director Greg Heier. "We are excited to offer them the chance to play on a competitive team at a college where they can also excel in an academically challenging environment."

?"Wow!" was the first word Phil Severson, the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (NSWCA) secretary, said about Doane's wrestling addition. "That is exciting. This is a great opportunity for more wrestlers to continue in the sport while getting a great education. After the state losing an excellent program like UNO, it is great to see another college add the sport to help fill the void of lost opportunities."

Doane's athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Story and picture from Doane College Sports Information, Rick Schmuecker