Denmark Technical College has announced that it will expand its athletics programs for the 2022-2023 school year to include men’s and women’s track and field and women’s volleyball.
“Denmark Technical College has a rich history of athletics excellence dating back to the 1940’s,” said Dr. Willie L. Todd Jr., president and CEO. “I’m excited that we are able to expand our athletics offerings to help us appeal to a wider audience and continue to build a vibrant student-life experience on campus.”
“Academics are the foundation of an institution, but athletics are the front porch. Adding new sports has many benefits including bolstering enrollment, increasing visibility, promoting school spirit and offering quality students who excel both on and off the field an avenue to continue in a sport they love,” added Andre Payne, athletics director.
The addition of the sports will attract up to 32 new students, potentially bringing the student-athlete enrollment up to over 100 students.
Denmark Tech has hired Derrick Wilmore as the head coach for both men’s and women’s track and field. Wilmore is a former Lincoln University track and field athlete and is a seasoned leader with a track record of coaching numerous state and national track and field qualifiers at Grandview High School, Germantown High School and Uplift Wisdom Preparatory. This will be his first foray into collegiate athletics coaching.
“I’m honored to be a part of the history we’re about to make with the first season of track and field at Denmark Tech. I plan to bring in a group of students who will represent DTC to the fullest, both academically and athletically,” said Wilmore.
The college expects to announce the head volleyball coach selection soon.
Selection process for the addition of the new teams at Denmark Tech, which is a member of Division 10 of the NJCAA, included factors such as access to facilities, regional popularity of the sports, seeking to increase diversity within the student population and budgetary needs of the new sports.
“We looked into a lot of potential athletics programs as we weighed our options but ultimately decided that volleyball as well as track and field were the most viable sports to add at this time. We have plans to expand our offerings further over the next several years and we are optimistic about building a high-quality athletics program to support our students as they pursue technical and transfer programs,” said Todd.
