PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Emma Mulder has been named the first-ever head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's wrestling team, announced Tuesday by Director of Athletics and Recreation Sam Koenig.

"Emma Mulder is the right leader to pioneer women's wrestling at UW-Platteville and build this program from the ground up," said Koenig. "We are excited to welcome Emma as she will be the pioneer to build a nationally competitive championship-caliber program. I'm confident she will attract outstanding student-athletes and make UW-Platteville a destination for women who want to compete and develop at the highest level. We look forward to seeing Emma and our first generation of Pioneer women wrestlers build something special and leave a lasting mark at UW-Platteville."

Mulder comes to the Pioneers after more than three seasons with the Simpson College Storm, serving as associate head coach since 2025 following two seasons as assistant coach under Jeff McGinness. She was instrumental in transforming Simpson women's wrestling into one of the most competitive programs in the country. This past March, Mulder helped guide the Storm to a 17th place finish while coaching two All-Americans at the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling National Championship. Annelise Obermark captured fifth place at 145 pounds while Keeley Kehrli took seventh at 160 pounds.

"I'm incredibly excited about the opportunity to build a women's wrestling program from the ground up at UW-Platteville," said Mulder. "What excites me just as much is the direction the athletic department and university are heading. There is a clear sense of momentum and a commitment to building something special, and I'm excited to be a part of that."

The Chariton, Iowa native is no stranger to building upon success, having coached a team at Simpson that was consistently ranked among the Top-15 in the country. The Storm finished runner-up at the 2026 DIII NCAA National Duals and had 11 national qualifiers, 10 Scholar All-Americans, six World Team All-Americans, and a Pan American gold medalist during Mulder's stint at Simpson.

"The first thing that stood out to me throughout the hiring process was the people," said Mulder. "There's an energy at UW-Platteville that's hard to put into words, but it's something I felt right away, and I can't wait to be a part of it. Even before officially starting, I've already felt an incredible amount of support from the administration, athletic department, and Platteville community. That support gives me a lot of confidence in what we can build here. I truly believe that together, we have the opportunity to do more than simply establish a program. We can build a team that competes with the best, develops outstanding student-athletes, and creates a tradition of success that the university and community can be proud of."

Outside of collegiate coaching, Mulder also served as USA Wrestling's National Team Iowa Head Coach for the 2026 season.

In college, Mulder competed for Grand View University, where she was a part of the inaugural women's wrestling recruiting class. She was a two-time NAIA All-American, a Junior National Team All-American, and a team representee for Wrestlers in Business Network. In 2022, Mulder was named the Heart Conference Tournament Outstanding Wrestler after capturing the 101-pound championship. The two-time Scholar All-American also received the Clutch Performance Award and was the SHAPE research symposium top overall winner.

Mulder earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Grand View University and is working towards a master's degree in Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership from the University of Missouri.

With just over a year before the Pioneers' inaugural competition in the fall of 2027, Mulder's first day in the office will be Monday, Oct. 26.