Northern Michigan University's athletics department has announced it intends to discontinue the National Training Site program for Greco-Roman wrestling one year from Tuesday.
Athletes were made aware of the planned June 30, 2027, discontinuation date via email Friday morning, according to NBC affiliate WLUC in Marquette.
“As the higher education landscape continues to evolve and institutions navigate increasing resource constraints, we have determined that this is the appropriate time to transition away from our support of the National Training Site program for Greco-Roman Wrestling,” NMU athletics director Rick Comley wrote in the email.
Per WLUC's Oliviah Klinski, Greco-Roman wrestling was introduced to NMU in 1999 and has since seen success on the national and international stage. The 2025-26 team, led by NTS head coach Andy Bisek, included 33 athletes.
The 2025 USA Wrestling Athlete and Coach of the Year honors went to NMU’s Payton Jacobson and Bisek, respectively.
“We appreciate the contributions of the many athletes and coaches who have been part of the Greco Roman Wrestling program,” Comley wrote. “Your dedication and impact have been meaningful to our institution.”
NMU will honor existing scholarship agreements, allowing athletes to continue under the terms and conditions of their scholarships for up to 10 semesters, according to Comley’s email.
"Greco-Roman wrestling is the only active program at Northern’s Olympic Training Center," Klinski reported. "The site was designated as an Olympic Training Center in 1985, and 29 sports have trained at the center on a short-term or long-term basis. The future of the training site remains in question with the termination of the Greco-Roman program."
