Buffalo State makes changes to new women’s wrestling program

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The inaugural season for the Buffalo State women’s wrestling team is just months away. But before the season even begins, the staff has already been shaken up, leaving parents and athletes with some questions.

In a statement sent to parents Tuesday, former Buffalo State head coaches Kellin Devlin and Steve Hart informed players and parents that they would no longer serve in those roles.

The coaches wrote: “The university administration has announced a complete restructuring of the program and the release of the team’s coaching staff.”

However, there has never been an official statement from the University regarding a restructuring of the program.

In response, Buffalo State officials told Channel 2: “Buffalo State University is committed to building a thriving women’s wrestling program, beginning with competition this fall. A search process is underway to find a new head coach to lead our program.”

“It’s just the fact that it took our coaches so long to recruit all 24 of us, and for them to just fire them out of nowhere doesn’t make any sense,” wrestler Hannah McCarley said.

Hannah and her twin sister, Brenna, who were both standout athletes at North Tonawanda, were fully committed to continuing their wrestling careers at Buffalo State until Tuesday’s announcement.

“We just don’t want to stay if they don’t have the coaches that we wanted and hoped for, because we were really excited to be with them and everything,” Hannah McCarley said.

The majority of the recruited athletes will not continue their athletic commitments with Buffalo State. As the 2024-25 women’s wrestling season approaches, athletes like Hannah are in talks with other college wrestling programs to secure a spot this season.