SANBORN — A new chapter is starting at SUNY Niagara athletics.
Starting in the 2026-27 school year, the college is offering women's wrestling as its ninth NJCAA-recognized program, Director of Athletics Bob McKeown announced Wednesday. The Thunderwolves are the latest program to offer the sport in Western New York, including NCAA Division II D'Youville University and NCAA Division III Buffalo State.
Wrestling will be the fifth women's sport offered at SUNY Niagara alongside volleyball, basketball, golf and softball. Wrestling is also the first new women's sport at SUNY Niagara since the lacrosse team was disbanded following the 2015 season.
Since being recognized as an "emerging sport" by the NYSPHSAA Executive Committee in August 2022, high school girls wrestling has grown across the state, including 30 programs in Section VI. To date, the section has held two state qualifiers, and the state has held championships to determine individual weight class winners.
"SUNY Niagara is thrilled to start a women's wrestling program for the 2026-27 season," McKeown said. "Women's wrestling is one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the country and now those students will have a local option at the junior college level to compete. We look forward to welcoming our first recruitment class next year and competing in NJCAA Region III and nationally."
SUNY Niagara men's wrestling head coach Keith Maute will serve as head coach of the women's program starting this season. Maute completed his 15th season with the Thunderwolves in March, which culminated in their first Division III national championship in the program's 53-year history.
Maute received both the National Coach of the Year and National Tournament Coach of the Year honors from the NJCAA, and led SUNY Niagara to a runner-up finish at the NJCAA Division III dual championships. Since taking over in 2011, Maute has a 113-66 dual meets record, coached two of SUNY Niagara's six NJCAA national champions — Troy Keller in 2018 and Jordan Bushey in 2020 — and 17 NJCAA All-Americans, including Aidan Gillings this season.
Before arriving in Sanborn, Maute established himself on the Western New York high school scene from 1997 to 2011 as an assistant at Lancaster and then head coach at East Aurora and Iroquois. As head coach, Maute won five ECIC Division III championships and two Section VI titles (2008 with East Aurora and 2011 with Iroquois) and was a three-time Coach of the Year honoree.
"We are thrilled to start up our women's wrestling program, with full intentions of making it as competitive as our men's program," Maute said. "We are looking forward to helping young women develop both academically and athletically."
The 2026-27 schedule for SUNY Niagara women's wrestling will be announced at a future date. For more information, please contact Maute at kmaute@niagaracc.suny.edu.
