WRESTLING RETURNS

A BLAST FROM THE PAST, AND THE BLASTER BUTTON

It's been more than 40 years since Albion stepped into the wrestling circle. The Britons return in 2021-22, with men's and women's teams. Also joining the athletics lineup: esports, as competitive video gaming continues its surge in popularity.

By Marissa Smego

Something old, something new.

Dating back thousands of years, wrestling is one of the world’s oldest sports. Conversely, esports is one of the newest and fastest growing offerings in college athletics.

One of the other fastest growing college sports? Women’s wrestling, which along with esports will soon feature NCAA-sanctioned events. But before that, they will join the return of men’s wrestling as a trio of new teams in the Albion varsity athletics lineup for 202122. Coaches have been hired and rosters are currently being formed.

Albion this winter will revive the men’s wrestling program that was disbanded in the 1970s. Adam Wilson will lead both the men’s and women’s programs after being hired last November. A three-time all-region performer at Olivet College a decade ago, Wilson had served as the Comets’ head assistant coach the last four years.

The addition of the teams not only will bring more prospective students to Albion’s campus, but also create distinct experiences and opportunities for those who choose to hit the mats for the Britons in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and NCAA Division III competition. Nearly 400 schools across the NCAA and NAIA currently offer intercollegiate men’s wrestling.

Adam Wilson

Two-Sport Brits?

Al Kastl, ’71, credits a majority of his post-graduation success to the Albion wrestling team. He went on to become a high school teacher and a successful wrestling coach at the high school and USA Wrestling levels.

“I think adding these two teams is going to bring some tough and gritty kids to campus,” Kastl says. “There is so much to be learned on the mats, and with Adam [Wilson] leading the team, these kids are in for a great experience.”

Wrestling’s return to Albion could lead to more dual-sport studentathletes on campus. Kastl himself also played on the football team, a common two-sport pairing on the men’s side after track and field/ cross country. The crossover of teams can boost the camaraderie on campus in general, as studentathletes can attend events of other sports to support their teammates. Home competitions are slated to be held in Kresge Gymnasium.

“You’re going to get a lot of excitement on campus with wrestling back,” says Kastl. “And it will be a good way to introduce others who may not have been exposed to the sport.”

Meanwhile, the growth of women’s wrestling has expanded well into Michigan, with more and more high schools picking up the sport. And while “the state of Michigan is a few years away from formally sponsoring women’s wrestling in high school,” Kastl says, “I think that’ll be a great way to get some more local kids to campus.”

Currently, 78 colleges nationwide offer women’s wrestling. Despite a majority of those being at the NAIA level, it is gaining momentum in the NCAA. Albion is the 22nd Division III institution to add women’s wrestling to its varsity roster.

More Than a High Score

One of the newest programs to hit college athletics, 175 schools currently participate in esports as a National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) sanctioned offering. Esports is an organized multiplayer video game competition, where scores are assessed through individuals as well as teams.

Esports scoring is similar to that of swimming. Players will compete individually or as a group, mirroring a relay squad, and those scores will be attributed to the final team score. The final team tally determines the winner, as multiple games are part of esports competitions.

Last November, Albion tabbed Karlo Delos Angeles as director of its esports program. Delos Angeles will be responsible for not only recruiting prospective students, but identifying those already on campus who have an interest in esports.

Karlo Delos Angeles

“I am proud and humbled to represent Albion College as the inaugural director of esports,” says Delos Angeles. “I am excited to create and coach this program from the ground up.”

The addition of esports at Albion opens a door to a whole new set of recruits and can allow for substantial learning opportunities. Several recent studies indicate there is a direct overlap between esports student-athletes and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Albion offers a range of majors and minors that directly correlate with esports, including computer science, mathematics, physics and the dual-degree engineering program. Albion’s newest teams give it a competitive advantage within the MIAA. The Britons join Adrian College and Trine University as the conference’s only schools that sponsor all three. Only two others, Olivet and Alma College, offer men’s wrestling, and only Alma also offers an esports squad.

Both Wilson and Delos Angeles have been recruiting since they joined Albion in November. The College’s current plan is to offer full seasons of varsity competition for all three sports during the 202122 academic year.

And Kastl can’t wait.

“Wrestling alumni wish to extend a massive thank you to President Mathew Johnson, Athletic Director Matt Arend, and other college officials who were part of the process to reinstate men’s wrestling and add women’s wrestling to the sports schedule,” he says. “Words cannot express our excitement as the Briton grapplers hit the mats.”

Marissa Smego is Albion College’s sports information director.

One for the Books

It was a year like no other for Briton athletics, or intercollegiate athletics for that matter. Fall sports were impacted the most, moving their seasons to spring—making for quite a busy time (104 home events in 104 days) around the Dow Rec Center, the Serra Fitness Center, and the athletic fields and courts. Britons took more than 9,200 COVID-19 tests and followed pandemic safety protocols en route to championship moments and personal milestones, including:

• MIAA championships in football and men’s lacrosse;

• Men’s track and field: All-America recognition for Kejuan Frazier, ’21 (three-event MIAA champion thrower); triple jumper Marcus Freeman, ’21, MIAA champion in two events;

• Men’s lacrosse: Joey Tatar, ‘22, and Jace Conley, ‘22, honorable mention All-Americans;

• Women’s track and field: Sprinter Avery Campbell, ’24, MIAA champion in three events;

• Swimming and diving: Sam Swingewood, ’22, and Sage Gettings, ’23 (women), Jake Huttenlocher, ’21 (men), each an MIAA champ in two events;

• Men’s basketball: Caden Ebeling, ’21, an all-Region and Academic all-District selection after surpassing 1,000 career points;

• Coaches Jake DeCola (men’s lacrosse) and Kristin Slamer-de St. Aubin, ’07 (volleyball), each notching their 100th career win;

• Briton student-athletes posting a 3.323 spring-semester GPA.

Visit gobrits.com for the latest on Albion College athletics!