ELMHURST, Ill. -- Elmhurst University and Director of Athletics Dr. Glen Brittich have announced the hiring of Andrew Demos as the first head coach of the Elmhurst women's wrestling program.

"We are very excited for the future of our women's wrestling program. Coach Demos comes from a background of national success both as a student-athlete and as a coach. We believe Elmhurst Women's Wrestling can be extremely successful with Coach Demos building the program" Dr. Brittich said. "With Coach Demos leading the way, we believe we will create an outstanding and competitive experience for our student-athletes. He has a great understanding of what it takes to both recruit and coach at a high level and we are looking forward to what the future holds for Elmhurst University Women's Wrestling!"

Demos comes to Elmhurst after serving as a member of the coaching staff for both men's and women's wrestling at North Central College since 2022, most recently serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach. With the Cardinals, Demos was a part of the staff that won the 2023 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship (NCWWC), also earning runner-up honors in the 2024 edition of the national championship, and a pair of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships in 2023 and 2024.

"I am honored and grateful to be the first Women's Wrestling Head Coach at Elmhurst University. I am excited to lead a program dedicated to female student-athletes in the sport of wrestling to become their very best self on and off the mat" Demos said. "I take pride in the growth of women's wrestling and ensuring each student-athlete has the opportunities they deserve. I look forward to being a part of the rich tradition Elmhurst University is known for, and to help student-athletes reach their fullest athletic and academic potential at Elmhurst."

Under the assistance of Demos, North Central has earned 29 All-American selections and has coached 15 student-athletes to a combined 18 CCIW Championships, and has assisted four different student-athletes to individual national championships in the past two years.

Demos wrestled for five years at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and was a four-time NWCA Scholar All-American and earned All-Region honors at the 2020 NCAA DII Super Regionals at 197 pounds. Demos was also a member of the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship team.

In addition to his time at North Central, Demos has previously served as the head girl's wrestling coach at Wilmot Union High School in Wisconsin and was an assistant coach at Fit and Fight Club in Niles, Ill.

A native of Lake Villa, Ill., Demos will begin leading the Elmhurst Women's Wrestling program in the coming weeks.

ABOUT ELMHURST WOMEN'S WRESTLING
Elmhurst's women's wrestling program will become the 62nd Division III program, the seventh program in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), and the ninth NCAA program in the state of Illinois when it begins competition in the 2024-25 academic year.
Women's wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, with the sport designated an NCAA emerging sport in the 2020-21 academic year. The sport is on track to become the NCAA's 91st NCAA championship and is in the Emerging Sports for Women program sponsored by the NCAA.

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the sport has seen an increase from 8,041 participants in 1994 to more than 50,000 participants today. Collegiately, the sport is offered at over 170 schools across the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).