North Iowa Area Community College announces addition of wrestling program
North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City proudly announced the return of its wrestling program during a news conference on Friday morning.

"NIACC enjoys a very proud wrestling history. I am more than pleased to be
associated with its reemergence for a region that is known for its wrestling
heritage and excellence," Dr. Michael Morrison, NIACC president, said.

Wrestling's comeback to NIACC marks the addition of a sport with a tradition
of excellence at the College. NIACC's wrestling program won the national
title in 1973. The wrestling team, which began in 1967, had a record of
126-18-2 before the program was dropped in 1976.

"The opportunity to return wrestling to our campus is tremendous. The North
Iowa area has a rich history in wrestling and we firmly believe that our partners in the region will support our efforts. We are also excited to offer another vehicle for student-athletes to pursue excellence," Dan Mason,
NIACC athletic director, said.

During three community listening posts held by NIACC across North Iowa, the region expressed a great deal of enthusiasm about the return of wrestling to NIACC. The new wrestling program at NIACC also garners that support of the best of the best in the sport.

"Wrestling has a tremendous, longstanding tradition in the state of Iowa and
NIACC is to be congratulated for making this huge step forward and providing
a wonderful educational opportunity for many young citizens of the state,"
Mike Chapman, International Wrestling Institute and Museum founder, said.

Chapman has authored 18 books, 12 of which focus on wrestling, and created WIN magazine, the nation's number one wrestling newspaper. Chapman started the Dan Hodge Trophy, given each year to the top collegiate wrestler in the nation, which has been called the "Heisman Trophy of wrestling." An award-winning journalist, Chapman has interviews such people as Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford and Lou Ferrigno and been featured on numerous national television programs.

Wrestling experts and coaches from other major institutions in Iowa also
strongly support the return of NIACC wrestling:
"I hear NIACC is bringing wrestling back. That's really exciting to me and
for wrestling, not only in Iowa but everywhere. Wrestling is a great
educational tool," Dan Gable, nationally known wrestling standout and
expert, said.

"The strength of wrestling in the state of Iowa is unprecedented. We need
to continue to make it grow and continue to give opportunities to athletes
coming out of high school. I am really impressed and pleased that NIACC is
doing that. This is huge," Tom Brands, University of Iowa wrestling coach,
said.

"It's exciting to have another college in Iowa have wrestling. NIACC had an
outstanding run for awhile and to be able to get the program reinstated is
great for wrestling in this state. I'm really excited to see this program
come back," Jim Miller, Wartburg wrestling coach, said.

"This news is terrific! It's so important for wrestlers to have another
outlet in the state. A lot of kids can't afford to go to a four-year school
right away, and this is a great way for them to get started with their
college careers. It's all about the grass roots and expanding what
opportunities we can offer as a state," Brad Penrith, University of Northern
Iowa head wrestling coach, said.

NIACC's wrestling program will begin its competitive schedule during the
2007-08 season. For more information on the NIACC wrestling program, call
1-888-GO NIACC, ext. 4344 or 641-422-4344.