Midland University Women’s Wrestling Program, A Great College Experience

Stellar leadership extends far beyond titles and designations. The measurement tape for success is in the results.

In 2011, Midland University introduced a program guaranteeing that participating students would graduate in four years. The school’s freshman enrollment increased by 32% from the fall of 2011 to the fall of 2012.

The president at the time, Mr. Ben Sasse attributed this growth in part to the new policy.

Here is how the program works.

At midlandu.edu they educate, “The Midland 4-Year Graduation Guarantee assures students meeting basic requirements will graduate within four years. If you don’t graduate in our four-year plan, we will pay 100% of your tuition until you do. How do we do it? In our innovative Center for the 4-Year Graduation Guaranteed, we have an entire team of professional advisors dedicated to helping you succeed!”

If you were an incoming student, wouldn’t you be excited about that proposal?

In their athletic world, something very significant happened in 2011 as well.

On Saturday, November 5, 2011 it was reported at midlandathletics.com, “Midland University’s Women’s Wrestling team opened its inaugural season with matches in Marshall, MO. Friday night the Lady Warriors competed in the MVC Open Dual.”

The female collegiate wrestling world was happy to receive them though as expected, in their first year they struggled losing 43-0 to Wayland Baptist University, 47-0 to Missouri Valley University and 43-0 to the perennial power King University.

The women’s wrestling program has come a long way since then.

Look at the progress.

“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.”… Wade Boggs

Reporting on March 12, 2018 the university announced, “Leilani Camargo-Naone earned Midland University’s first women’s wrestling national championship in leading the Warriors to a second-place finish in the NCWA National Wrestling Championships on Saturday.

Erin Scheidt and Welina Tong brought home third-place finishes for Midland, giving the Warriors 52.5 points for the second-place finish. Scheidt and Tong also earned NCWA Academic All-American awards.

Camargo-Naone, a sophomore, swept to the title by pinning both of her opponents at 191 pounds.”

A newer program winning a NCWA national championship is very impressive.

Clearly the women’s wrestling program has taken great strides since 2011.

Much of their success can be attributed to the exceptional training and leadership from their coach, Mr. Dana Vote.

The athletic department announced on March 29, 2017, “Midland University has announced Dana Vote as the institution’s new head wrestling coach. Arriving at Midland from his role as the director of wrestling operations at Iowa State University, Vote will oversee both the Warriors’ men’s and women’s programs.

Over the course of 10 years associated with collegiate wrestling, Vote has coached one National Champion, 11 All-Americans, 32 national qualifiers and 12 Academic All-Americans.

He previously spent four years at the helm of Concordia University’s men’s wrestling program where he was twice named the GPAC Coach of the Year. Vote guided the Bulldogs to two GPAC Championships and two Regional Championships. He was also named the North Region Coach of the Year on two occasions.”

Midland’s women’s wrestling appears to have a very bright future.

fci elite competitor, fciwomenswrestling2.com articles, midlandu.edu photo credit via Midland University athletics

Now part of the larger WCWA, the leader in collegiate women’s wrestling, the Lady Warriors were ranked No. 24 at the conclusion of the 2017 season.

Have you had a chance to become familiar with Midlands University? You should. They have a very progressive identity that is sure to be admired.

Let’s meet them.

fci elite competitor, fciwomenswrestling2.com articles, midlandu.edu photo credit

Midland University is a private liberal arts college with an approximate enrollment of 1,400 students. The 33-acre academic and residential campus is located in Fremont, Nebraska, 25 miles northwest of Omaha.

Fremont is a city in Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census.

The scenic village has 21 city-owned parks, with a combined area of over 400 acres.

As of 2016, Fremont’s single largest employer was Hormel Foods.

We absolutely love their chili. We also love their team and community spirit.

At the city’s chamber of commerce website they warmly smile, “It’s a place where I’m connected, where my family and I can put down roots. It’s a place where possibilities can be turned into realities and where the scale of life encourages living. Real living. In Fremont, you’re close to everything that matters, living next to neighbors who know your name.”

The university offers more than thirty undergraduate bachelor’s degrees and three graduate master’s degrees.

Fielding athletic teams known as the Midland University Warriors, the college is a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Known as Midland Lutheran College from 1962–2010, the university is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Now that the foundation is laid, why don’t we allow the University to speak about who they are?

We’re very interested.

At midlandu.edu they smile, “We don’t want you to give up on your dreams after high school. In fact, we want you to learn through the things that you love. At Midland University, you can continue to play sports, stand out on stage, excel in the classroom and reach your full potential through your passion.

You are more than a number at Midland University. With a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, professors who know you by name and professional advisors who care, you are the focus at Midland. The average classroom size is 18, so our professors can concentrate on hands-on, one-on-one learning.

With 60 percent of students residing on campus, Midland students learn and live in an active, cozy campus community. The campus offers a small college feel where you can build lifelong relationships.”

The above is very good to know.

Their commitment to their students is confirmed by a student review at cappex.com. “Midland is student focused. They care about all the students and have so many useful resources to help each student succeed both in school and in life. Midland is an up and coming school that will continue to expand as they continue to increase their quality education.”

Here is another student review shared at studentsreview.com. “The great things about Midland is that it is a friendly and safe environment with plenty to do. Also, I’ve made friendships that I know will last a lifetime and will help me grow as a human being.”

We sense the positive reviews are based upon Midland’s resolve to follow through on the University’s beliefs and values.

What are some of them?

The Midland’s leadership explains their vision. “To provide relevant, innovative, and dynamic learning experiences for our students by working from the marketplace back to ensure their career readiness. We strive every day to be relentlessly relevant.

Faith – We believe as a college of the Lutheran tradition that faith and learning are inexorably linked.
Quality – We believe in upholding exacting standards of quality and accountability.
Respect – We believe in the sanctity of the individual in a mutually supportive community of a small college.
Stewardship – We believe we are called to educate morally and ethically responsible citizens of a pluralistic society.
Learning – We believe that learning is best based on open inquiry and the liberal arts.”

No wonder Midland is growing at such a fast pace. Midland seems to offer a student so much to learn and grow from.