ABERDEEN, S.D. -- After receiving an outpouring of support from wrestling fans across the country, Northern State University has decided to reinstate its wrestling program, effectively immediately, according to NSU Director of Athletics Josh Moon.



"The commitments of financial support and efforts of (National Wrestling Coaches Association Executive Director) Mike Moyer and others has been overwhelming," said Moon. "We have received pledges for more than the targeted $70,000 per year for five years, which will go directly into the wrestling program to support scholarships, operating budget and the hiring of an assistant coach."



In February, NSU Head Wrestling Coach Pat Timm announced his resignation. Two weeks later, in early March, NSU announced the suspension of the wrestling program and the start of a comprehensive review to fix what is described as a broken model.



Faced with the prospect of attempting to attract a new wrestling coach and recruit a new batch of wrestlers to a program with questionable financial health that had floated at or near the bottom of the NSIC for seven years, Moon said the choice was made to suspend the program in order to leave open the option of reinstating it.



"This has been a challenging time for all of us," said Moon, "especially for the athletes who have poured their heart into NSU wrestling. We realize how emotional this has been. We did not want to end the program, but we clearly needed to explore some new options in order to keep it going."



Todd Jordre, president of the NSU Foundation, said the Foundation has received pledges for the next five years that will help elevate the program to a competitive level in the NSIC and NCAA Division II.



"We want to thank everyone who stepped up to support NSU wrestling," Jordre said. "We feel confident that these pledges will be fulfilled, and based on those commitments, many of which are from new donors, we're able to move forward."



The NSU Foundation is responsible for receiving and processing payments. Pledges for the first year of pledge commitments need to be received by May 1, 2015, and will help ensure that budget commitments can be met and efforts to relaunch NSU wrestling can begin immediately.



Moon said Mike Moyer had several possible candidates in mind for the vacant head wrestling coach position. "We will start that search for a new head coach immediately," said Moon. "We hope to have a new leader of NSU wrestling in place by the end of April."



In a letter to the NSU Athletic Department regarding NSU's decision to reinstate the program immediately, Mike Moyer wrote:



"The NWCA wants to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Northern State University administration, its wrestling alumni, and the Aberdeen wrestling community for working together to develop a viable strategy that insures a bright and prosperous future for its intercollegiate wrestling program.



"As a small token of appreciation, the NWCA is committed to providing full scholarships for NSU's newly hired head and assistant wrestling coaches to attend our comprehensive CEO Leadership Academy. Each scholarship is valued at $4,800 and the curriculum is designed to insure that all coaches have the necessary CEO and entrepreneurial skills to be solid stewards of the program going forward. This leadership program is also intended to make sure the intercollegiate wrestling program is closely aligned with NSU's educational values."



Moon said he especially wanted to thank Northern's wrestling student-athletes for their patience during this very difficult time. "Wrestlers are known for their grit and toughness," Moon said. "They've demonstrated that through this time. And we believe that as a result of all that we're doing and the support they've received, that the quality of their experience will be elevated significantly."



Moon added, "We expect big things from this program moving forward. We hope all of our returning wrestling student-athletes will remain at Northern and continue to pursue their academic and athletic goals."



NSU will also be establishing a "Corporate Advisory Team" around the wrestling program to assist with continued development, accountability and growth of the program.



According to Moyer, "This advisory team is uniquely designed to help the newly hired coaching staff develop a strategic plan and then assist with drawing of resources to execute the plan. This advisory team is typically comprised of community business leaders and university administrators who have expertise in fundraising, marketing/promotions, revenue generating event, eligibility/retention, business continuity plans, strategic planning, etc.," wrote Moyer.



Moyer added, "It is our intention to position the NSU wrestling program to be "The New Gold Standard" in our sport and, undoubtedly, this will set the standard for many other collegiate teams to emulate."



Jordre said that the NSU Foundation will begin working with the wrestling program to put in place efforts to build a wrestling endowment, which will enable a long-term, sustainable funding model. "A $1 million endowment would guarantee the long-term health of this program," Jordre said. "With that, we can increase the number of scholarships we're able to offer, recruit more competitively and provide our athletes with greater opportunities to succeed at what they love."



"There are several more barriers for us to cross," Moon said. "But with the helpful support of the wrestling community, we feel we're in a much better position to cross those than we were six weeks ago."



Fans, friends, and alumni of NSU who still wish to contribute to support NSU wrestling can do so at the NSU Foundation Giving Page (select wrestling in the "My funds should be designated for" menu) or contact the NSU Foundation at wolvesclub@northern.edu or (605) 626-2550.