On Friday, October 18, St. Olaf College posted a statement about the cancellation of the St. Olaf wrestling program following the 2019-2020 wrestling season.

St. Olaf College has graduated many exceptional student-athletes since the program began in 1949 including NCAA Academic All-Americans and 10 NCAA All-Americans including as recently as 2011, 2012 and 2016. St. Olaf wrestlers have graduated and continue to serve communities all over the world, giving back to the sport and to the school.

Over the last several years, St. Olaf Head Wrestling Coach Sean Ahrar was On Active Duty Orders in the military as part of the US Navy Reserve. As a result, the recruitment was down in the most recent year. Instead of working with Coach Ahrar to build the program and manage expectations, the St. Olaf administration canceled the program and nominally offered Coach Ahrar, who has an MBA, serves in the military, speaks three languages, and serves in the naval reserve, a position folding laundry in the equipment room, which he has refused.

Head Coach Sean Ahrar is a hard-working immigrant from Iran who embodies the American Dream. He has been nothing but decent, upright, mature, responsible. He also represents the only member of diversity at his rank in the St. Olaf Athletics Department.

St. Olaf College should continue supporting the wrestling program which has in its history produced as many great accomplishments as any other St Olaf athletic team and gives back greatly to the St. Olaf community.