News / Press Releases

Goodland, KS. (08/22/2021) – The Carpentry program at Northwest Kansas Technical College received funding from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation in support of their expansion and renovation project.

The Carpentry workshop is a collaborative space where students come together to design, create, and build items of their own creation through inquiry-based learning. The renovation includes projects such as expanding the facility by removing a wall, adding storage rooms for better organization, student lockers for security, adding a safety station, and bathroom updates. The renovation project will enable the entire building to be usable by the program students.

The Carpentry program at Northwest Tech provide students with relevant learning experiences supported by qualified and experienced faculty and staff, modern technology, and physical facilities designed to enhance the learning environment. The program courses are focused on various disciplines with work-based experience. Instructors conduct lectures, demonstrations, shop time, and campus work projects alongside course material. Students are prepared for employment in the residential-commercial carpentry construction industry by the end of the two-year program.

For more information about the Carpentry program, please visit FHNW.edu

With the Northwest Tech softball season just wrapping up, two Goodland natives are officially taking the reins of the program. Kaitlynn Raile, Assistant Coach for the 2020-2021 softball season has been has been appointed to the Head Coach position while Athletic Director Rory Kling will be stepping into the role of Assistant Coach. “I’m excited to see our new coaching staff grow the program,” said NT President Ben Schears. “It’s a great opportunity to promote solid employees into positions and knowing they will grow and see success.”....

Northwest Tech has named Jay Bradley to serve as the 4th men’s basketball coach in the program’s history. Bradley, a Wichita KS native, will return to the sunflower state as the Mavericks work to build a competitive team in a dominant KJCCC Jayhawk Conference. “We are looking forward to welcoming Coach Bradley to the Northwest Tech team,” said Athletic Director Rory Kling. “Experience on the court as both a coach and his work with ProSkills EYBL, will help him recruit the needed talent to be able to compete in the Jayhawk conference.”

Coach Bradley has already hit the ground running to recruit incoming student-athletes for the 2021-2022 academic year. “It’s an honor to be named the Head Coach of this program,” said Bradley. “Northwest Tech immediately made an impression on me by showing the pride they take in their school success and the community.” The Mavericks are coming off a 3-18 record for the prior year and are looking to position the program for success. “We had several great conversations with Coach Bradley leading up to this point,” said NT President Ben Schears. “We feel he is a guy who is not afraid to jump in, work hard, and put in the effort to build a winning program.”....

Northwest Tech is pleased to announce the launch of collegiate Women’s Wrestling at the college, with competition beginning in the Fall of 2021. The move comes following a decision at the March board meeting as the college works to strengthen enrollment and increase female student-athletes on campus. 

“We have discussed adding the program for a few years, but with the recent decision by the NJCAA to recognize women’s wrestling as an emerging sport the timing was right to make the move,” said Athletic Director Rory Kling.

Northwest Tech is no stranger to women’s wrestling, as it was a club sport during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 academic years. “We are excited to bring the program back and provide an additional opportunity for student-athletes to earn a degree in a high-demand and high-wage field of study,” said Kling.

Women’s wrestling is on the rise all across the country. According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association website, the number of women wrestling at the high school level has grown from 804 athletes in 1994 to well over 21,124 by 2019 – and that was as of two years ago. Even while participation has increased, opportunities for female wrestlers in Kansas to compete at the collegiate level in-state are few and far between. According to the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association website, there are only five private NAIA colleges and universities in Kansas with women’s wrestling. “High school programs have grown rapidly in Kansas and all around the Midwest,” said Northwest Tech President Ben Schears. “This is an opportunity for us to be among the first in the state to meet the growing demand and provide an equal opportunity to compete.”

The creation of the women’s program will be a great addition to a highly successful NJCAA Men’s Wrestling program at Northwest Tech. The men’s program is currently ranked 9th in the nation and has already produced three national champions, eleven All-Americans, and has several nationally-ranked wrestlers heading to the national competition in late April. “We want to see the same success, talent, and skill with our women’s program as we have with our men’s program,” said Wrestling Head Coach Chris Guillot. “Our goal is to develop high-quality student-athletes in the classroom and on the mat.”

Both the men’s and women’s programs will be under the guidance of Head Coach Chris Guillot and Assistant Coaches Lelund Weatherspoon, Ramico Blackmon, and Ben Kritsonis. “Our coaching staff are the right people at the right time to get this off the ground,” said Schears. “They have the vision, skills, and mindset to get the program started on the right foot.”

For more information about the new wrestling program, contact Wrestling Coach Chris Guillot at chris.guillot@fhnw.edu or by phone at 785.890.1545. https://www.ntmavericks.com/sports/wwrest/index