Rome, Ga. - Shorter College President Dr. Harold E. Newman and Director of Athletics Bill Peterson announced Monday plans to begin an intercollegiate wrestling program. The team will begin competition in the Fall of 2010.

"Since the beginning of my presidency, I have been asked about the possibility of adding wrestling to Shorter's athletic program," Dr. Newman said. "No intercollegiate wrestling programs are available in Georgia; yet, wrestling remains an important sport in the state at the high school level. What we have heard again and again is a real desire on the part of students, parents and coaches involved in the sport to have the opportunity to continue competing in wrestling after high school."

"We are excited to step into the arena and offer that opportunity."

The Shorter athletic department, which is also poised to add men and women's lacrosse for the next academic year, will usher in wrestling as its 21st varsity sport. These sports will be added by Shorter after it transitions to university status on June 1, 2010.

"We are very pleased about adding wrestling as our 21st overall varsity sports program," said Peterson. "It is also a great honor to initiate the only four-year varsity wrestling program in the state of Georgia. We know that there is a great deal of enthusiasm about wrestling in Georgia, and we are very proud to be a part of that excitement."

Shorter's wrestling program is slated to compete in the Mid-South Conference along with current league members Campbellsville University, Cumberland (Tenn.) University, the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), Lindsey Wilson College and West Virginia Tech.

The wrestling Hawks will practice at an off-campus site, but host matches on campus at the Winthrop-King Centre.

The search for a head coach will begin immediately.

Shorter College becomes the only four-year college in Georgia with varsity wrestling, and the second college varsity team in the state, joining Darton College, a two-year program. It has not been since the early 1990s that the state has had a four-year college program.

Much of the credit for the development of these college programs goes to the Georgia Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (GIWA), a coalition of individuals and organizations that has been seeking to bring back intercollegiate wrestling to the state of Georgia.

"The GIWA has been working since 2004 to encourage our state's educational and political leaders to change that," said Alan Leet of the GIWA. "We are very excited about the announcement from Shorter. We think you and the wrestling community in general likewise will be excited about the announcement that Shorter made today."