Matt Land
Athletic Director

Being a member of the nation's oldest collegiate athletic conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), seeing more than 1100 student-athletes participate in 27 varsity sports, in addition to nine club sports, and having some of the finest facilities to field exciting NCAA Division III competitive events is what makes Trine athletes know their college experience will be something they will remember the rest of their lives. The recent addition of athletic programs such as men's and women's ice hockey, esports, men's and women's bowling, women's triathlon, synchronized ice skating, figure skating, acrobatics and tumbling and women’s wrestling programs make this an exciting time in the history of our athletic programs. We invite you to be a part of Thunder history.

For more than 135 years, Trine University has prided itself on strong academic programs. The athletic department works closely with and understands the needs of our student-athletes in order for them to meet the demands necessary to achieve the academic excellence needed to prepare for work and future challenges.

Our facilities continue to meet the expansion and growth of our athletic programs with the recent completion of the Thunder Ice Arena and MTI Center.  We continue to make improvements to our already existing facilities to make them some of the finest venues in the region and all of NCAA Division III. 

The on–campus 18-hole championship golf course and 3500 seat gymnasium have allowed us to host several collegiate tournaments. Zollner Golf Course and Trine athletics also served as the host of the 2012 NCAA Women′s National Golf Championship. 

It is with great pride that we invite you to experience Trine athletics and to extend to you an open invitation to contact us. Better yet – come visit us on the campus of Trine University and experience the THUNDER!

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The first official wrestling season at Trine was in 2005-06 (then called Tri-State University) and the Thunder competed in the Mid-West Independence Conference.  During the first season, the Thunder finished fourth in the conference meet and had one individual champion in Chris Wolf who captured the 285 lb. weight division.  

Three years later, the Thunder had four wrestlers finish as runners up at the annual NCAA Regional Meet as the program continued to improve and compete at a high level.  During the 2009-10 season, Trine worked its way into the national rankings and had its first national qualifier in Nick Kraus.  The very next season, Trine returned to the national stage with another NCAA Qualifier in Elias Larson who ended up finishing third at 157 pounds to earn All-American honors.

Larson went on to earn a total of three All-American honors and ended his career as the program leader in wins (121), winning percentage (.829), major decisions (31) and was second all-time in pins (48).  He also set single-season marks for wins (40) and win percentage (.909).

One other wrestler has earned All-American status so far in Trine program history in Mack Green '15 after placing fifth at the national championships during the 2013-14 season.

The 2018-19 season marked the first year that Trine competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association who brought back wrestling as a conference sport after not sponsoring it for 35 years.  The Thunder finished in a three-way tie for second in the conference.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION