http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Fea...rsity-wrestlingBarton Community College in Kansas adds varsity wrestling for 2015-16 season
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Oct. 24, 2014, 6:40 p.m. (ET)
Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas has decided to begin a varsity wrestling program, starting with the 2015-16 season.
Barton currently has 15 sports programs, seven for men and eight for women.
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As voted by our Board of Trustees, Barton will add Wrestling beginning in 2015-16 season. More details in coming wks #GoBarton
Excerpt from story in Great Bend Tribune, by Susan Thacker
Barton Community College will add wrestling to its list of sports in 2015-2016, a decision made official at Thursday�s Board of Trustees meeting.
As discussed at the Oct. 9 board study session, the addition of a wrestling program has the potential of increasing on-campus enrollment by 30-40 students. A number of Kansas community colleges already have wrestling programs and a couple of others are considering the addition of the sport.
Trustee Don Learned said he�s lost count of the number of phone calls he�s received about this topic.
�People say it�s a great idea,� Learned said. �I think the community is really behind this.�
Trustee Mike Minton added, �I think it�s a great idea.� He asked Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman for assurances that other sports programs won�t see their budgets reduced to make room for wrestling.
�We want quality teams,� he said. �We can�t take away from other programs.�
Heilman reminded trustees that startup costs were included in this year�s budget. After the initial expenses, the program's revenues are expected to exceed its costs around Year 2. �We did not reduce the operations of other athletic programs in putting this forward.�