Jasmine Cothran squares off against ETSU to become the first Lady Raider wrestler in school history.
MTSU Wrestling officially announced that it will field an NCWA Women’s Division team starting in January when Spring classes begin. MTSU becomes only the 32nd team to join the organization’s women’s division, and stands alongside East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee as the only NCWA collegiate womens’ teams in the state. The NCWA features folkstyle wrestling while the WCWA, which in-state King College is a part of, features freestyle (olympic).
Despite the official word coming only earlier today, MTSU coach Bryan Knepper has had the wheels in motion since the summer, recruiting Jasmine Cothran (Antioch High School), a third place finisher in the 2011 TSSAA State Tournament this past Spring.
Cothran made history earlier this month, becoming the first women’s wrestler to notch a victory in a collegiate match when she defeated ETSU’s Ada Hagan by fall at the 4 minute mark in an exhibition match after MTSU’s 46-10 route of the Buccaneers on December 10th. Cothran also lost to ETSU’s Morgan Pittsford by fall earlier in the day, giving up nearly 30lbs to both opponents yet walking away with a 1-1 record.
“Women’s wrestling is growing tremendously,” Knepper said of the move. “This was the next logical step to help grow MTSU Wrestling as a whole.”
For a complete listing of NCWA Women’s Division teams, click HERE
