Lets Match Rich's Gift!
“Some of the best times I have ever had in my life was when I was wrestling at Southwest and my mom got a chance to get away to watch me. So many good times we got to share simply because I was a part of the wrestling program.”
Donations are applied to...
100% of all donations to this campaign will go to the Mike Sterner Wrestling Endowment which helps fund student-athlete scholarship for the SMSU wrestling program.
Description
In 2003, Mike Sterner and his wife Karen, along with alumni and friends of SMSU wrestling contributed $10,000 and created the Mike Sterner Wrestling Endowment at SMSU. The endowment is to help fund student-athlete scholarships for the wrestling program. In 2017, Glenwood, Minn., native and 1974 alumnus Rich Tvrdik gifted $20,000 toward the endowment. This campaign is geared to match Tvrdik's generous gift in order to grow the endowment and further impact future SMSU wrestling student-athletes. “This program was such a (big) part of my life, so, when the time came it was an easy decision. I had to give something back, it gave me so much…had to give something back.”
Why are donations necessary?
“This campaign will provide us with the opportunities necessary to be nationally competitive on a year to year basis and recruit some of the best talent in the country,” Head Wrestling Coach Jesse Nelson said. “In addition, this campaign will aid in the process of bringing in a full-time assistant coach.”