Arizona Christian University is excited to announce the addition of Women's Wrestling as a varsity NAIA sport within the athletics department. As this dynamic sport continues to grow in popularity across local high schools and throughout the southwest, Arizona Christian University welcomes the new opportunities for female student-athletes to represent the Firestorm in NAIA competitions.
Recognized as a varsity sport by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Women's Wrestling has gained tremendous traction, and Arizona Christian University is committed to hiring a dedicated coach immediately to build a strong foundation for the program. The inaugural competition season is set for the 2025-26 academic year.
"The addition of women's wrestling makes a lot of sense for our athletics department," said Dr. Peter Dryer, Director of Athletics at Arizona Christian University. "With our growing facilities, dynamic student-athlete experience, and Christ-centered education - we believe competing for the Firestorm is a great opportunity! We look forward to providing more of these opportunities to female student-athletes through the addition of women's wrestling."
The introduction of Women's Wrestling will create an avenue for students in the sport to continue their education while cultivating their athletic talents, both within the supportive environment of Arizona Christian University. Additionally, the Firestorm will join the Cascade Collegiate Conference in the NAIA as its seventh member in the sport. "We are thrilled that Arizona Christian is adding women's wrestling to their offerings and will be joining their men's team as associate members in Cascade Collegiate Conference," stated Commissioner Robert Cashell. "Women's wrestling in our league continues to grow and we look forward to the Firestorm women's team debut in the 2025-26 season."
Arizona Christian Director of Wrestling, Michael Butterfield, commented, "I am extremely excited to help announce the addition of Women's Wrestling to Arizona Christian University. Our women's team will join one of the most competitive conferences in the country for women's wrestling, the Cascade Collegiate Conference, and will join what is considered to be one of the premier divisions for women's wrestling in the United States, the NAIA." Coach Butterfield continued, "The growth of our men's team in the last few years has shown that there is a massive desire for individuals to receive a quality, Christ-centered education while being able to compete in the sport that has helped so many people to better their lives both on and off the mat."
The Firestorm introduced men's wrestling as an intercollegiate sport in 2019. Since that time, the Firestorm have seen 14 nationally ranked wrestling student-athletes, taken nine student-athletes to the NAIA National Championships in Kansas, and twice has been named an NAIA Scholar Team. The team regularly hosts other NAIA programs from the West Coast, and competes against programs from all over the country.
Prospective student-athletes are encouraged to keep an eye out for future announcements regarding coaching staff, recruit information, and community initiatives as we prepare for our inaugural season.
Interested student-athletes may connect with ACU through the recruit form for Women's Wrestling at this link:
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Women's Wrestling prospective coaches and student-athletes may also reach out directly to the Director of Wrestling at ACU, Coach Michael Butterfield at
michael.butterfield@arizonachristian.edu or apply directly online at
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