MINOT, N.D. – Coach Brittney Mitchem made history at Minot State today simply by having her name announced.

Andy Carter, Minot State's Director of Athletics, is pleased to introduce Mitchem as the first head women's wrestling coach for the Beavers who in May announced they will add women's wrestling as an NCAA Division II sport starting in the 2022-23 academic year.

"I am excited to have Brittney lead this new program," Carter said. "Her energy and passion for women's wrestling was evident from our first conversation. She is hungry to make an impact on the lives of the women in our program and fits perfectly into our culture and core values.

"Brittney is a great addition because of her experience, but also her knowledge and determination to make an immediate impact in the women's wrestling scene in the upper Midwest. She will not be outworked and will be a great asset for our department, our university, and our community."

Mitchem begins her duties - building the Beavers women's wrestling program from scratch - immediately.

"It's an honor," she said of starting the program at Minot State. "I am very privileged to come to Minot and build a culture around everything Minot State is about. It's a special thing to do that right off the bat and bring in a lot of like-minded kids.

"There's already an amazing culture there and I just get to add to it, which is an amazing opportunity."

The women's wrestling program will complement a powerhouse men's wrestling program that has won 16 All-American honors during its time on the mats at Minot State.

"I'm very excited about the addition of women's wrestling here, and I think we just found the perfect person to lead the program," Minot State men's wrestling head coach Evan Forde said. "I feel Brittney will be able to build a nationally competitive team in a short amount of time.

"Brittney has head coach experience, including experience in starting a new program," Forde added. "This will pay dividends as she looks to build a roster. I think her recruiting-skills experience will prove valuable throughout this process."

The addition of women's wrestling comes at an amazing time as the NCAA introduced women's wrestling as an emerging sport in the summer of 2020, putting the sport on pace to earn full championship status, and earlier this spring the North Dakota High School Activities Association announced it would sanction girls wrestling starting with the 2021-22 academic year.

Putting Mitchem and the Minot State program at the center of a growing sport in both North Dakota, and at the collegiate level, as the new Beavers coach knows how excited girls will be to get the chance to compete at their own state tournament at the high school level and also earn a shot to compete at the NCAA level.

But she also sees the growth as a chance to give back to a sport she loves.

"I think it's super important to get involved," Mitchem said of growing girls and women's wrestling in North Dakota, "especially in this role and having the honor of being the head coach at Minot State and getting to share that vision for these girls."

"I've very excited to get rolling and get recruiting right away, getting the right kind of kids, character kids into our program," Mitchem added.

Most recently, Mitchem was a dual-sport coach at Brewton-Parker College (Ga.) where she was head coach for both women's wrestling and women's soccer for the 2019-20 season. Prior to that, she was head coach at NCAA Division II Tiffin University (Ohio) from 2017-19 where she helped start the women's wrestling program.

A two-time Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) All-American at the University of Cumberlands (Ky.) where she earned her Bachelor's in Public Health and Exercise Science in 2013, Mitchem also was an all-conference soccer player.

She continued her education at Cumberlands where she began her coaching career, working as a graduate assistant with the women's soccer team and as a volunteer coach for women's wrestling for two years, earning her Master's in Teaching Special Education: Learning and Behavior Disorders in 2015.

Along with her coaching experience, Mitchem played three years for the Torch FC team in Philadelphia in the Women's Premier Soccer League, and spent six months in Zambia, Africa, serving a sports ministry internship.