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The programs will be the 20th and 21st NCAA Division I sanctioned sports under the university athletic department’s umbrella. 

“We are really excited to add women’s water polo and wrestling, providing young men and women the opportunity right here in the heart of the Valley to continue playing the sport that they love while getting their education close to home,” said Jim Bartko, director of athletics at Fresno State. “Wrestling has such a rich tradition here in the Valley and water polo makes perfect sense in the footprint of our athletics structure and with our premiere aquatics venue.”

“We look forward to incorporating these two sports into our university community while remaining focused on our continued commitment to gender equity and Title IX,” he continued. 

According to Fresno State’s announcement, the university has already raised the necessary funds to support both new programs over the course of their first three seasons and will immediately begin a national search to hire head coaches. 

Wrestling at Fresno State dates back to 1962, when it competed as an NCAA Division II program. In 1969, Bulldog wrestling made the move to Division I, where it won six national championships and produced 33 All-Americans before being dropped from the university umbrella as an NCAA Division I competing program in 2006. 

The move to bring wrestling back was initiated by President Joseph I. Castro in fall 2013 when he asked the department to begin exploring the possibility. 

“I am ecstatic that we are officially moving forward with reinstating wrestling and adding women’s water polo. We have taken the time to adequately prepare for the new programs and to do the fundraising necessary for them to succeed,” he said. “It’s a bold move to add two new sports, but they will provide great opportunities for student-athletes at Fresno State and tremendous enjoyment by Bulldog fans through the Valley and beyond.”

The planned timeline for the new sports programs is as follows:

• March 2016 — head coaching positions posted

• April-June 2016 — announce hiring of head coaches for both programs

• July 2016 — hiring of assistant coaches begins

• Summer 2016 — recruitment of student-athletes begins

• November 2016 — early signing period; recruits can sign National Letters of Intent to join Bulldog programs

• August 2017 — student-athletes begin arriving on campus

The wrestling program is expected to begin in time for the Winter 2017-18 season and will compete in the Save Mart Center, while women’s water polo will kickoff in Spring 2018 and hold competitions in the Aquatics Center. Conference affiliation is forthcoming. 

The sports will be the first additions to Bulldog Athletics since women’s lacrosse began in the 2008-9 school year. That same year, the women’s swimming and diving program was restored after being dropped in 2004.