Shanna Morris continues to blaze trails.
As the first Marion County female wrestler to sign with a college when she was a student at Marion Harding and as a member of Ohio’s first women’s college wrestling team at Tiffin University in 2018, Morris continues to add firsts to her resume.
She is the first head coach of the women’s wrestling team at Defiance College when the program debuts next winter.
“I am very excited to help bring women’s wrestling to Defiance College and Northwest Ohio, offering a huge opportunity for women to compete past high school and earn scholarship opportunities for their education,” Morris said in a release. “After speaking with members of Defiance, I truly felt that this is a place dedicated to helping its student-athletes grow into successful, well-rounded individuals. I am very eager to build a program that not only fosters academic and athletic success but that also emphasizes the core values of the NAIA: respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership.”
As a college wrestler, Morris was a two-time All-American and a three-time national qualifier while at Tiffin, twice finishing eighth in the national tournament. She also wrestled at Lourdes College in northwest Ohio as a graduate student and qualified for the NAIA nationals in 2024.
The next year she worked as an assistant coach for Lourdes and Toledo Rogers. Now she will head the Yellow Jackets.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Shanna as the first head coach of our women’s wrestling program,” DC Athletic Director Tiffani Selhorst said in a press release. “Women’s wrestling is the fastest-growing female sport in the country, and Coach Morris has been at the forefront of that growth as a competitor and a coach. Her first-hand experience within a new program is exactly what we need to establish a strong foundation here at Defiance. Her passion, leadership, and vision will be instrumental in shaping a program that empowers and elevates our student-athletes.”
Here is how other Marion-area wrestlers fared in college during the winter season:
Anyone with information on a Marion-area college athlete who competed this winter should reach the Marion Star’s Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@usatodayco.com, 419-610-0998, X @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Harding grad becoming first women’s wrestling coach at Defiance
Reporting by Rob McCurdy, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
