News
Wrestling addition to Zollar officially underway
Published on May 14, 2025 - 3 p.m.
On May 14, Southwestern Michigan College celebrated four years of athletic success with a groundbreaking ceremony for the wrestling expansion to the Charles O. Zollar Building.
“Since the board voted unanimously to revive intercollegiate athletics after a hiatus of more than 25 years, SMC wrestling in particular has had success nothing short of amazing,” Chief Marketing Officer Mike O’Brien said. “In 2022-23, their first year back, the team swept the MCCAA duals meet, won the conference championship, finished third in the Great Lakes District and sent nine wrestlers to the NJCAA National Championships.
“In the spirit of continuous improvement, in their second year the team moved up to Division I, again swept the MCCAA duals, won their second conference title, finished second in the Great Lakes District and sent the maximum 10 wrestlers to nationals, where they finished 17th in the country. Sophomore Caeleb Ishmael was honored as an All-American.
“This past season we improved even further,” O’Brien said. “The Roadrunners remain undefeated in MCCAA duals. They three-repeated the conference title, traveled to Illinois and beat three nationally-ranked teams in winning the Great Lakes District over perennial powerhouse Triton College. They again sent 10 wrestlers to nationals and finished 14th in the country — three steps higher than the previous year. Sophomores Nathan Andrina and Colby Klinger were on the podium as All-Americans. Coach Todd Hesson was named the National Wrestling Coaches of America’s National NJCAA Coach of the Year.”
The Zollar upgrade will quadruple the space from 2,688 square feet in temporary quarters in the Dale A. Lyons Building to 11,195 square feet.
“It will double our mat capacity,” O’Brien said, “and add a dedicated fitness and warmup area. It will create offices for the wrestling coaches, add locker rooms for student athletes and expand restroom facilities for everyone who visits 1st Source Bank Fieldhouse for volleyball and basketball games.”
“SMC is taking the lead for the whole state of Michigan,” O’Brien said, “committing to be the first MCCAA junior college to offer women’s wrestling starting this fall. Only 30 two-year colleges in the country offer women’s wrestling. Both our men’s and women’s wrestling teams will have a brand-new home to practice in by February 2026.”
Interim President Brent Brewer thanked architect Tony Leininger and his team at Carmi Design Group in Niles and Douglas and Tyler Shelton of E&L Construction Group in Kalamazoo.
“They are the general contractors not only on this project, but also the additions to our residence halls that will provide 36 more on-campus spaces for students to live.”
As a “wrestling dad” whose son, Brody, wrestles for Dowagiac and travel teams, Brewer said, “We have traveled all over the state and country to various tournaments. Early mornings, late nights and time away from home, but we love it!”
“It’s gratifying for me to see SMC taking a leadership position in college wrestling,” Brewer said. “This is just the latest step to expanding opportunities for our students all over campus. In 2022, we completely remodeled the gymnasium for the return of intercollegiate athletics. Since last summer, we have added more affordable housing for students who want to live and learn here.
“This Zollar expansion for wrestling is the first phase of our Room to Grow campaign, which speaks to the whole college experience. Every piece of the whole is important because not all learning takes place in the classroom.”
“At SMC we will always be committed to providing opportunities to motivated men and women to grow to be their best by participating in clubs, on teams and in band or ensembles. Room to Grow will provide better space for our wrestling program, but also for music students, with plans to renovate the choir and band rooms and the commons area of the Dale A. Lyons Building.”
Board of Trustees Chairman Tom Jerdon said, “All of this activity helps fulfill a critical part of our mission, providing the total college life experience. It’s critical to provide online classes for students who prefer that, and SMC has some great online options. But we also invest in physical spaces and robust programs that foster growth and life experiences second to none — home games and musical performances benefit our students as well as the community. You cannot profess to have a total college life experience without thriving arts and athletic programs.”
“I assure you,” Jerdon said, “we always take on these projects in a manner that is financially responsible to taxpayers. This wrestling project is being built after extensive value engineering by SMC administration and the Carmi Design Group. We’re doing it the old-fashioned way, with funds we’ve already saved over time and no burden of additional debt to our taxpayers.
SMC “generates positive impact in Cass County of over $58 million and over $224 million per year if you include surrounding counties,” Jerdon said. “We are an economic engine for this area. Soon, we’ll be able to put in bids to host conference and regional wrestling meets for both men and women.”
